;«n*s*?* 


BULLETIN  OF  THE 

■  ■  '  . ,  ■  ,  ■  • 

MISSOURI  STATE 
NORMAL  SCHOOL 

THIRD  DISTRICT 

A  COLLEGE  FOR  TEACHERS 
CAPE  GIRARDEAU,  MISSOURI 


SYLLABUS  OF  HISTORY  WORK 
IN  FIRST  GRADE 


1911 


*g*<j!f* 


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in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https  ://arch  i  ve  .org/detai  Is/sy  llabusof  h  istorOOstat 


BULLETIN 

OF  THE 

State  Normal  School 

THIRD  DISTRICT 


A  COLLEGE  FOR  TEACHERS 


Vol.  XI  MARCH,  1911  No.  4 


SYLLABUS  OF  HISTORY  WORK 
IN  FIRST  GRADE 


CAPE  GIRARDEAU,  MISSOURI 


Published  by  the  Missouri  State  Normal  School,  Third  District. 

Issued  January,  March,  June,  October  and  December. 

Entered  at  the  Post  Office  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,  as  Second-class  Matter. 
Printed  by  The  Daily  Republican,  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo. 


BOARD  OF  REGENTS 


LOUIS  HOUCK,  CAPE  GIRARDEAU, 
President. 

L.  J.  ALBERT,  CAPE  GIRARDEAU, 
Secretary. 

E.  A.  ROZIER,  FARMINGTON. 
MOSES  WHYBARK,  MARBLE  HILL, 
CHARLES  D.  MATTHEWS,  SIKESTON, 

WILLIAM  P.  EVANS, 

State  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools. 


DEPARTMENT  FACULTY 

WASHINGTON  STROTHER  DEARMONT, 

A.  M.,  D.,  Litt.  D.  (Westminster), 

President  and  Professor  of  Education. 

EDWIN  ANDREW  HAYDEN,  B.  S.  Ph.  D.  (Michigan), 
Professor  of  Philosophy  and  Education. 

WILLIAM  WOODROW  MARTIN,  Ph.  B.  (Chicago), 
Professor  of  Education  and  Superintendent  of  Training  School. 

MARTHA  CATHERINE  SHEA,  A.  B.  (Hardin), 

Critic  Teacher  and  Instructor  in  Method  in  High  School. 

ADA  MILAM  (Chicago), 

Critic  Teacher  and  Instructor  in  Method  in  Upper  Grades. 

EMMA  JANE  HOWARTH,  A.  B.  (Michigan), 

Critic  Teacher  and  Instructor  in  Method  in  Intermediate  Grades. 

RACHEL  ELIZABETH  GREGG,  B.  S.  (Columbia), 

Critic  Teacher  and  Instructor  in  Method  in  Primary  Grades. 

ELMA  WILLIAMS  EALY,  B.  Pd.  (State  Normal), 

Critic  Teacher  and  Instructor  in  Method  in  Kindergarten. 


The  Work  of  the  Training  School 


HIS  syllabus  represents  a  field  of  endeavor  wliich 
the  department  of  education  of  the  Missouri  State 
Normal  School  at  Cape  Girardeau  has  been  plan¬ 
ning  for  some  time  and  is  now  putting  into 
execution  as  rapidly  and  completely  as  its  facil¬ 
ities  for  the  work  will  permit.  It  is  the  work  of 
Miss  Elizabeth  Gregg,  supervisor  of  primary 
teaching,  and  serves  a  three-fold  purpose:  it  represents  the 
actual  work  done  in  the  training  school,  as  organized  by 
Miss  Gregg  and  developed  by  her  student  teachers ;  it  is  an 
attempt  to  illustrate  one  of  the  essential  functions  of  the 
department  of  education  in  a  Normal  School  in  formulating 
sound  educational  procedure;  and  it  undertakes  to  be  one 
solution  of  the  problem  of  how  this  department  should 
render  practical  assistance  to  teachers  in  the  ranks.  This 
department  is  an  integration  of  three  phases  of  professional 
training  for  teachers.  ‘It  includes  the  foundational  courses 
upon  which  educational  principles  are  based ;  the  courses 
in  which  these  underlying  principles  of  school  procedure 
are  derived  and  formulated;  and  actual  class-room  teaching 
in  which  the  student  attempts,  by  putting  them  into  intel¬ 
ligent  practice,  to  utilize  his  grasp  of  the  principles  derived 
from  the  two  other  phases.  This  syllabus  is  an  expression 
of  the  view  that  the  professional  training  of  teachers  can  be 
accomplished  only  through  a  close  integration  of  these 
three  phases,  which  have  long  been  in  almost  complete 
isolation  in  many  Normal  Schools.  One  important  function 
of  departments  of  education  in  Normal  Schools  is  to  pro¬ 
mulgate  sound  educational  procedure.  Miss  Gregg’s 
syllabus  attempts  to  illustrate  school  procedure  that  will 
work  in  the  public  schools. 

This  brings  up  a  neglected  aspect  of  professional  train¬ 
ing  in  Normal  Schools,  that  of  giving  practical  assistance 


6 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


to  teachers  in  the  field.  Too  many  times  the  notion  pre¬ 
vails  that  the  things  done  in  training  schools  will  not  work 
if  attempted  in  public  schools.  Something  is  radically 
wrong  in  a  training  school  if  its  fundamental  practices  will 
not  work  when  intelligently  applied  in  public  schools. 
Furthermore,  one  of  the  most  important  functions  of  a 
training  school  is  to  assist  teachers  by  working  out  school 
practice  adapted  to  public  school  needs.  This  syllabus  is 
offered  to  the  primary  teachers  of  Southeast  Missouri,  and 
to  all  others  who  may  come  upon  it,  in  the  belief  that  it  can 
be  of  direct  assistance  to  primary  teachers  in  both  urban 
and  rural  schools.  To  this  end  the  co-operation  of  city  and 
county  superintendents,  principles,  and  primary  teachers 
throughout  this  section  of  the  state  is  asked  in  getting  the 
syllabus  into  the  hands  of  those  who  may  find  it  helpful. 
County  and  city  superintendents  are  also  asked  to  study  it 
for  the  purpose  of  pointing  out  its  value  to  their  teachers. 
Copies  can  be  procured  free  of  charge  by  writing  to  the 
State  Normal  School,  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri. 


HE  question  of  the  relation  of  the 
school  to  the  child’s  life  is  at  bottom 
simply  this :  shall  we  ignore  this 
native  setting  and  tendency,  dealing 
not  with  the  living  child  at  all,  but 
with  the  dead  image  we  have  erected, 
or  shall  we  give  it  play  and  satisfaction?  If  we  once 
believe  in  life  and  in  the  life  of  the  child,  then  will 
all  the  occupations  and  uses  spoken  of,  then  will  all 
history  and  science,  become  instruments  of  appeal 
and  materials  of  culture  to  his  imagination,  and 
through  that  to  the  richness  and  orderliness  of  his 
life  *  *  *  *.  When  nature  and  society  can 

live  in  the  schoolroom,  when  the  forms  and  tools  of 
learning  are  subordinated  to  the  substance  of 
experience,  then  shall  there  be  an  opportunity  for 
this  identification,  and  culture  shall  be  the  demo¬ 
cratic  password. 

Dewey:  The  School  and  Society. 

The  fundamental  factors  in  the  educative  pro¬ 
cess  are  an  immature,  underdeveloped  being;  and 
certain  social  aims,  meanings,  values  incarnate  in 
the  matured  experience  of  the  adult.  The  educative 
process  is  the  due  interaction  of  these  forces. 

Dewey:  The  Child  and  the  Curriculum. 


Some  Educational  Principles 

T  has  become  almost  a  habit  with  some  in  these  modem 
days  of  transition  in  educational  procedure  to  indict 
the  public  school  for  its  alleged  failure  to  do  many 
important  things.  Chief  among  these  charges  is  the 
assertion  often  repeated  that  elementary  school  train¬ 
ing  does  not  equip  the  child  to  meet  successfully  the 
situations  which  come  up  in  practical  life.  In  citing 
particulars  to  support  this  general  assertion  the  public 
school  is  grilled  because  it  does  not  teach  children  morals  and 
manners,  a  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  laws  of  health  and 
cleanliness,  a  sufficient  mastery  of  elementary  facts  and  processes 
which  every  individual  must  have  if  he  is  to  succeed,  and  so  on. 
Without  going  into  a  detailed  discussion  of  the  fundamental  prob¬ 
lems  implied  in  this  indictment,  it  must  be  admitted  in  all  fairness 
that  public  school  training  has  not  touched  life  as  vitally,  and 
therefore  as  practically,  as  it  should.  Such  an  admission  is  not 
necessarily  an  arraignment  of  our  present  public  school  system, 
nor  does  it  assent  to  the  extreme  position  taken  by  those  who 
rush  in  to  belabor  the  public  school  without  investigating  its  con¬ 
ditions  or  weighing  its  problems.  Without  prejudice,  and  in  the 
attitude  of  accepting  squarely  for  the  school  every  responsibility 
which  it  should  justly  assume,  much  effective  study  is  being  given 
to  the  fundamental  character  of  both  elementary  and  higher  edu¬ 
cation;  and  an  honest  attempt  is  being  made  to  formulate  school 
procedure  on  a  truly  scientific  basis,  that  is,  on  a  basis  that  means 
a  maximum  of  development  for  the  individual  and  gives  him  the 
initial  training  that  will  best  enable  him  to  do  the  work  for  which 
he  is  fitted.  This  means  that  a  heavy  burden  of  responsibility  is 
placed  upon  the  elementary  school.  Indeed,  the  tendency  on  the 
part  of  some  who  undertake  to  say  what  the  modern  school  should 
do,  is  to  assign  to  the  school  problems  which  rightfully  belong  to 
the  home,  the  church,  or  other  institutions  of  society. 

The  outline  in  this  bulletin  represents  an  attempt  to  formu¬ 
late  a  statement  of  the  work  done  in  the  first  year  of  the  element¬ 
ary  school  which  shall  be  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  now  pervad¬ 
ing  the  best  study  of  education  and  in  line  with  the  most  satis¬ 
factory  principles  that  have  so  far  been  worked  out.  It  rests 
upon  the  fundamental  idea  that  the  functional  development  of 
the  child,  as  conditioned  by  the  possibilities  of  his  own  nature  in 
its  growing  reactions  to  the  larger  life  of  which  he  is  becoming  a 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


9 


part,  is  the  focal  process  in  education.  Other  conditions,  it  is 
true,  have  an  influence  in  determining  the  complex  process  of 
school  education,  but  these  are  significant  only  as  they  constitute 
modifying  elements.  According  to  the  viewpoint  adopted  in  this 
bulletin,  this  principle  furnishes  the  essential  unity  underlying 
the  content  as  well  as  the  process  of  education.  Too  many  times 
unity  in  education  is  derived  from  sources  which  are  really  not 
inherent  in  the  child  at  all,  as  is  illustrated  in  some  doctrines  of 
correlation,  interest,  motor  skill,  and  the  like.  The  problem  of 
unity  as  it  is  confronted  in  working  out  a  scheme  of  practical 
education  is  one  of  two  dimensions.  It  means  a  common  denomi¬ 
nator  of  values  by  which  all  of  the  child’s  school  experiences  are 
appraised;  and  it  also  furnishes  the  underlying  sequence  running 
through  all  stages  of  school  life  from  kindergarten  to  college  and 
making  transitions  easy  and  natural. 

Miss  Gregg  has  made  the  orientation  of  the  child  in  a  world  of 
social  experiences  this  common  denominator  of  values.  In  this 
way  the  child’s  previous  experiences  in  both  the  home  and  the 
kindergarten  are  made  to  have  the  greatest  possible  utility.  In¬ 
stead  of  setting  up  some  basis,  such  as  the  development  of  tech¬ 
nical  skill,  the  'acqusition  of  partly  extraneous  knowledge,  or  the 
growth  of  more  or  less  external  interests,  the  attempt  is  made  to 
take  the  child  just  as  he  is  and  help  him  on  the  way  toward  true 
self-realization.  One  of  the  tests  of  true  self-realization  is  the 
presence  of  suitable  motives.  The  quest  for  functionally  ade¬ 
quate  and  suitable  motives  is  so  fundamental  in  education  that  it 
may  well  engage  the  attention  of  the  profoundest  educational 
thinkers;  but  superficial  discussion  of  the  nature  of  the  problem 
has  well  nigh  become  a  fad  in  current  educational  literature. 
There  must  always  be  a  motive  operative  in  the  child’s  conduct, 
no  matter  what  the  form  of  the  response  may  be;  because  re¬ 
sponse  necessarily  presupposes  motive  of  some  sort.  The  diffi¬ 
culty,  then,  is  not  to  find  a  motive,  but  to  find  the  motives  which 
are  really  native  to  the  child,  to  select  those  which  are  the  most 
desirable,  and  to  make  these  function  effectively  in  his  responses. 
Miss  Gregg  has  sought  to  find  motives  natural  to  children  in  the 
problems  coming  up  in  the  usual  run  of  experiences  which  they 
ordinarily  encounter  up  to  the  time  that  they  enter  the  first  year 
of  school  life.  These  problems  are  found  sometimes  in  their 
home  contacts  and  play  life,  sometimes  in  their  kindergarten  ex¬ 
periences,  if  they  have  had  the  latter. 

The  term  “problem”  is  used  intentionally  in  order  to  stress 
the  fact  that  children  are  constantly  trying  to  find  solutions  to 
situations  which  are  for  the  time  being  problems  for  them.  In 


10 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


spite  of  the  fact  that  many  teachers  either  do  not  know  or  forget 
that  children  actually  think,  the  fact  constantly  obtrudes  itself 
upon  any  careful  observer  of  children  that  they  not  only  do  think, 
but  that  the  most  characteristic  form  of  their  mental  life  is  the 
thinking  out  of  situations  that  confront  them  as  unexplained,  and 
hence  uncontrolled.  As  Miller  points  out  in  his  Psychology  of 
Thinking,  following  the  lead  of  Dr.  Dewey,  the  functional  aspect 
of  thinking,  that  is,  the  use  of  thought  to  control  situations  and 
determine  responses  toward  them,  is  the  most  important  one  in 
elementary,  as  well  as  in  higher  education.  Motor  activities  are 
thus  the  basis  of  thought  processes  rather  than  the  by-products, 
so  to  speak,  of  these  processes.  This  differs  vastly  from  the  prac¬ 
tice,  so  often  the  vogue  in  schools,  of  tacking  motor  training  to 
thought  training  as  a  sort  of  concession  to  a  modern  fad  that  is 
too  troublesome  to  be  ignored.  Miss  Gregg  is  essentially  in 
accord  with  Miller  and  Dewey.  In  making  use  of  the  child’s 
motor  tendencies  she  does  not  therefore  lug  them  into  her  sched¬ 
ule  of  procedure  at  the  cost  of  much  labor  to  herself  and  pain  to 
the  child;  on  the  contrary,  she  utilizes  such  activities  as  weaving, 
modeling,  drawing,  painting,  cutting,  pantomime,  and  the  like,  as 
motives  for  thinking  and  .the  consequent  solution  of  problematic 
situations  not  yet  brought  under  the  child’s  control.  Thinking 
thus  grows  out  oif  situations  which  are  problematic;  and  these 
problems  are  solved  by  making  new  adjustments  involving  motor 
responses. 

It  should  be  apparent  that  Miss  Gregg  has  made  her  outline 
thoroughly  flexible  in  its  use  of  details.  All  the  devices  which 
she  has  selected  are  only  by  way  of  concrete  illustration  and 
would  naturally  be  replaced  by  others  under  different  circum¬ 
stances.  Her  main  effort  has  been  to  indicate  underlying  princi¬ 
ples  and  to  show  how  these  may  be  worked  out  in  concrete  form. 

WILLIAM  WOODROW  MARTIN. 


The  Basis  for  This  Work 


N  the  present  development  of  educational  thought,  three 
things  seem  to  form  the  fundamental  factors  in  deter¬ 
mining  the  selection  and  handling  of  material  for 
children  during  the  first  years  of  school  life.  These 
are  the  social  development  of  the  child;  the  basis  In 
the  child’s  previous  experience  upon  which  educa¬ 
tional  procedure  rests;  and  closer  unity  in  the  educa¬ 
tional  system.  The  outline  presented  in  the  following 
pages  has  been  developed  fro-m  this  standpoint.  For  this  reason 
it  seems  advisable  to  state  briefly  the  interpretation  placed  upon 
these  points. 

If  the  aims  of  education,  throughout  the  history  of  the  world, 
are  thought  of  for  the  purpose  of  generalization,  we  find  that 
society  has  always  educated  its  young  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
for  itself  efficient  members.  As  the  qualities  which  make  an 
efficient  social  unit  have  changed  with  advancing  civilization,  we 
need  but  to  analyze  these  in  order  to  find  where  the  emphasis 
will  fall  in  the  educational  system.  Yet  it  is  true  that,  some¬ 
times,  only  one  of  these  qualities  will  be  emphasized  by  different 
thinkers  in  the  educational  field.  We  also  find  the  remains  of 
some  aims  which  represent  the  desired  qualities  of  several  decades 
past.  To-day  the  entire  tendency  is  toward  a  broader,  fuller  under¬ 
standing  of  what  the  present  age  needs  in  a  member  of  the  social 
body.  It  is  not  possible  here  to  analyze  the  social  situation  nor 
to  determine  the  reasons  which  have  led  up  to  this.  We  can  only 
note  that  the  emphasis  is  being  placed  upon  the  individual,  his 
broadening  and  development,  so  that  he  may  not  only  fit  into  the 
general  social  conditions,  but  that  he  may  rise,  himself,  and  help 
pull  upward  the  social  body  also.  The  individual  is  handicapped 
in  many  ways.  He  is  a  unit  in  a  very  complex  situation  where 
the  clews  are  hard  to  discover.  Without  help  he  can  never 
understand  nor  appreciate  the  many  lives  which  are  touching  his 
at  every  point.  Without  this  understanding  and  appreciation,  his 
development  or  education  will  be  incomplete  and  the  end  for 
which  he  was  created  not  obtained.  Therefore,  his  education 
rests  upon  'the  discovering  of  these  clews,  and  the  tracing  out  of 
the  entire  process  of  civilization  around  him. 

Two  ways  for  doing  this  are  now  being  used  in  the  educational 
world, — both  of  which  present  logical  reasons  for  their  work. 


12 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


The  first  begins  with  the  primitive  world  and  traces,  step  by  step, 
the  development  of  inventions  upon  which  the  advance  of  civiliza¬ 
tion  has  been  founded.  Those  who  follow  this  plan  allege  strong 
psychological  data  upon  which  to  base  their  work.  They  main¬ 
tain  that  the  adult  represents,  in  a  cumulative  way,  the  mental 
development  of  the  race  even  back  to  the  earliest  life.  From 
childhood  to  manhood,  he  has  successively  passed  through  the 
race  history  of  many  thousand  years.  Therefore,  those  activities 
which  assisted  the  race  to  develop,  are  best  understood  by  the  in¬ 
dividual  during  the  corresponding  period.  Another  advantage 
lies  in  the  fact  that  these  activities  are  at  first  simple,  and  gradu¬ 
ally  approach  the  complex,  following  the  general  law  of  develop¬ 
ment,  therefore  they  suit  the  educational  needs  of  the  child. 

The  other  point  of  view  is  equally  strong.  According  to  it, 
the  child  is  living  now  in  the  midst  of  a  very  complex,  social  life 
which  touches  him  closely  on  every  side.  He  does  not  under¬ 
stand  it,  but  he  lives  it,  experiences  it,  every  day.  To  him,  it 
does  not  seem  complex.  It  is  just  a  great,  big  whole  of  which  he 
is  the  most  important  part.  To  understand  this  whole  all  at  once 
is  impossible,  but,  day  by  day,  to  press  gradually  outward,  always 
coming  back  to  himself,  will  furnish  the  clews  needed  and  keep 
the  individual  in  his  right  relation  to  the  whole.  Further,  the 
child  is  a  member  of  society,  just  the  same  as  the  adult,  and  he 
needs  that  which  will  help  him  to  live  his  life  better  now,  rather 
than  twenty  years  from  now. 

The  second  point  is  an  accepted  educational  principle,  and  has 
been  given  by  some  the  mystical  name  of  apperception.  This  is 
the  old  law  of  assimilation  and  analogy  with  great  emphasis 
placed  upon  the  past  experiences  of  the  individual  which  forms 
the  basis  for  assimilating  new  experiences.  This  assimilation  of 
new  experiences,  which  may  be  either  purely  mental  or  motor  as 
to  response,  is  the  process  we  term  education.  Therefore,  in 
dealing  with  a  child,  we  have  to  first  take  account  of  his  past 
experiences  which  may  be  judged  from  his  environment.  Upon 
these  we  must  found  our  educational  structure.  When  the 
normal  child  of  six  enters  school,  his  experiences  have  been  en¬ 
tirely  bound  up  with  home  and  the  activities  found  there.  For 
that  reason,  the  education  of  the  first  year  has  a  stronger  ap¬ 
proach  through  the  home  than  through  the  study  of  race  develop¬ 
ment. 

The  last  point  considered  is  unity,  both  in  the  educational 
system  and  in  the  year’s  work. 

Dr.  Dewey  has  pointed  out  in  his  School  and  Society  some  of 
the  wastes  in  the  educational  system  due  to  isolation, — one 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


13 


of  which  is  between  the  kindergarten  and  primary  grades. 
The  child  who  is  fortunate  enough  to  have  had  a  year  of  kinder¬ 
garten  training  before  entering  the  first  grade, — ns  most  of  our 
children  have, — will  have  received  an  introduction  to  this  work  as 
outlined,  the  utilization  of  which  will  help  weld  the  kindergarten 
more  firmly  to  the  elementary  school.  Moreover,  by  taking  the 
experiences  which  the  child  has  gained  in  the  kindergarten  and  by 
making  these  the  basis  of  broader  work,  the  child’s  knowledge  is 
organized  into  a  system  of  related  thought  which  has  more 
educative  power  to  the  young  mind  than  many  tid-bits  of  learn¬ 
ing,  however  rare. 

Throughout  th©  day’s  program,  throughout  a  term’s  work, 
there  needs  to  be  a  controlling  thought  which  is  going  to  make 
the  work  in  each  subject  vital.  Isolation  of  subject-matter  tends 
to  even  greater  waste  in  education  than  isolation  of  departments. 
By  relating  reading,  language,  nature  study,  numbers,  and  the 
manual  arts,  to  the  solution  of  one  vital  problem,  we  are  helping 
to  organize  the  child’s  experience  into  a  logical  system  of  thought. 

Then,  those  experiences  which  Froebel’s  master  mind  felt 
were  essential  to  the  normal  development  of  the  child,  can  be 
given  through  this  course  to  those  children  who  have  been  denied 
the  privilege  of  the  kindergarten.  The  child  of  six  or  seven  has 
grown  beyond  the  age  when  the  kindergarten  program  has  the 
greatest  value  for  him.  To  give  the  occupations  and  gifts  to  him 
in  isolation  from  the  kindergarten  program,  as  has  been  at¬ 
tempted  at  times,  does  not  yield  the  expected  results.  They  are 
much  the  same  as  any  other  type  of  unrelated  busy  work  which 
holds  the  child  through  its  motor  element.  The  value  of  these 
gifts  and  occupations,  songs  and  games,  is  largely  in  their  power 
of  bringing  about  experimentation  in  thought  and  action,  in 
stimulating  tne  mind  through  appropriate  suggestion,  but  unless 
they  are  used  in  the  solution  of  a  vital  problem,  the  work  is  of  no 
special  value. 

The  outline  given  will  be  based  upon  the  actual  work  carried 
out  in  the  Training  School,  but  will  suggest  lines  of  development 
which  have  not  been  practical  here.  The  conditions  in  a  training 
school  are  not  the  best  to  work  out  a  closely  related  course, 
because  of  the  number  of  teachers  which  the  children  have  in  one 
day.  The  difficulty  in  taking  long  field  trips  is  another  disad¬ 
vantage,  as  each  teacher  has  but  fifty-five  minutes  to  spend  with 
her  class  each  day. 


RACHEL  ELIZABETH  GREGG. 


History  m  tlie  First  Grade 


I.  SHELTER  PROBLEM. 

The  work  during  part  of  the  first  grade  groups  around  the 
shelter  problems,  not  because  the  need  for  shelter  is  prominent 
in  the  child’s  consciousness,  nor  because  it  corresponds  to  the 
development  of  the  race,  but  because  more  of  the  child’s  exper¬ 
iences  are  involved  in  the  home,  its  activities,  and  the  occupations 
related  to  it.  It  is  through  these  experiences  that  we  hope  to 
develop  an  education  which  will  reach  into  the  home  and  the  life 
of  the  child. 

During  the  first  week  of  school,  the  talks,  which  form  part  of 
the  language  period  are  based  upon  the  family  group.  These 
talks  are  carried  on  in  an  informal  manner,  the  children  sitting 
on  the  circle  with  the  teacher,  who  guides  and  controls  the  con¬ 
versation,  helping  to  bring  out  the  shy  and  to  organize  the 
thoughts  of  the  more  active  through  skillful  questions.  This  is 
a  subject  which  is  familiar  to  each  child,  and  its  use  will  gradually 
draw  him  into  the  general  discussion. 

This  Mother  Play  song  forms  the  basis  for  these  talks: 

This  is  the  loving  Mother, 

Always  good,  always  dear; 

This  is  the  busy  Father, 

Always  brave,  full  of  cheer; 

This  is  the  merry  brother, 

Grown  so  strong  and  tall; 

This  is  the  gentle  sister, 

This  is  the  baby  small; 

Here,  then,  they  all  together 
Gladly  meet,  gladly  meet; 

Here  is  the  happy  family, 

All  complete,  all  complete. 

Other  finger  games  are  also  given,  first,  to  provide  those  chil¬ 
dren  from  the  kindergarten  with  some  familiar  work;  second,  to 
furnish  those  children  who  nave  not  had  the  kindergarten  work 
some  of  the  valuable  elements  which  these  games  include.  They 
are  especially  helpful  to  the  little  fingers  and  muscles  in  gaining 
control  and  strength.  The  home  group  is  first  discussed.  Through 
this  the  names  of  all  the  members  in  each  home  are  learned.  This 


16 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


knowledge  is  needed  by  the  teacher  to  aid  her  in  understanding 
each  child  and  it  is  gained  in  the  most  natural  way.  The 
different  members  of  the  family  then  become  successively 
the  center  of  attention.  First  of  all  comes  the  loving  mother, 
with  her  many  duties  and  loving  service  to  each  member  of  the 
family.  Through  the  questions  of  the  teacher,  the  child  is 
made  to  feel  the  love  and  care  which  is  the  mother’s  constant 
thought.  Children  accept  life  without  any  questions,  without  any 
thought,  as  to  the  love  and  service  given  them.  This  is  accord¬ 
ing  to  their  nature  and  development.  But  the  child  who  never 
becomes  conscious  of  this  love  and  service,  who  always  accepts 
these  as  his  just  due,  is  in  danger  of  developing  a  narrow, 
selfish  manhood  or  womanhood.  He  needs  gradually  to  be  im¬ 
pressed  with  those  services  which  first  the  home  and  then  the 
community  gives  him. 

The  children  study  and  memorize  the  stanza: 

Hundreds  of  stars  in  the  pretty  sky; 

Hundreds  of  shells  on  the  shore  together; 

Hundreds  of  birds  that  go  singing  by, 

Hundreds  of  birds  in  the  sunny  weather. 

Hundreds  of  dewdrops  to  greet  the  dawn; 

Hundreds  of  bees  in  the  purple  clover; 

Hundreds  of  butterflies  on  the  lawn; 

But  only  one  mother  the  whole  world  over. 

Pictures  of  mothers  and  two  of  the  Madonnas  are  studied. 

In  our  paper  cutting,  clay  modeling  and  drawing,  which  is 
connected  with  this  work,  we  portray  the  members  of  the  family. 
We  draw  and  cut  the  activities  of  the  mother  in  the  home  and 
with  her  children.  On  the  circle,  the  different  occupations  of  the 
mother  are  expressed  in  pantomime,  the  children  guessing  what 
is  being  shown. 

The  children’s  first  reading  lessons  should  be  the  summing  up 
of  the  talks,  first  on  the  board,  later  in  hectographed  copies, 
fastened  with  paper  brads  and  given  to  each  child  to  take  home. 

The  method  which  is  used  in  giving  reading  lessons  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  mother  in  the  home,  would  come  at  the  first  of 
the  second  week  of  school  when  the  child’s  visual  vocabulary  is 
very,  very  meagre  and  would  be  somewhat  as  follows: 

As  an  introduction  to  the  lesson,  the  teacher  would  probably 
say,  “Children,  of  whom  were  you  talking  on  the  circle  to-day?” 

“Mother.” 

The  teacher  writes  this  on  the  board,  repeating  the  name, 


Jane’s  father  and  brother.  II.  Paper  cutting'  illustrating  washing  and  ironing  activities. 

Ill  and  IV.  Colored  drawings  of  washing. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


17 


Mother.  She  then  says,  “I  am  going  to  tell  you  how  we  feel 
toward  Mother.” 

Sh©  writes,  We  love  Mother. 

“Who  can  read  how  we  feel  toward  Mother?” 

This  usually  can  be  read  without  difficulty  from  the  sugges¬ 
tion  given. 

The  teacher  then  says,  “I  want  some  one  to  whisper  to  me  one 
thing  that  Mother  did  for  him  this  morning.” 

This  is  written  upon  the  board  and  the  child  reads  it  to  the 
class.  The  lesson  is  continued,  having  each  child,  if  the  class  is 
not  too  large,  tell  Something  that  Mother  does  for  him.  The 
reading  lesson  would  appear  upon  the  board  somewhat  in  this 
way: 

MOTHER. 

We  love  Mother. 

Mother  gave  me  my  breakfast. 

Mother  kissed  me. 

Mother  washed  my  face. 

Mother  brushed  my  hair. 

Mother  found  my  ball. 

There  is  only  one  Mother  the  wide  world  over. 

After  this  lesson  has  been  put  upon  the  board  with  the  help 
of  the  children,  then  it  is  read  again,  sentence  by  sentence,  the 
teacher  holding  the  ruler  under  each  sentence.  The  children  who 
gave  the  sentences  will  always  be  ready  to  read  theirs  over  again 
when  it  is  singled  out;  others  quickly  remember  what  has  been 
said  about  Mother  and  can  probably  read  some  of  them. 

The  teacher’s  aim  in  this  lesson  is  two-fold:  first,  to  give 
the  children  material  offering  the  least  difficulty,  so  that  the 
whole  attention  may  be  directed  to  the  thought  and  its  oral  ex¬ 
pression;  second,  to  teach  the  word,  Mother.  Incidentally  the 
children  acquire  other  words.  The  second  day,  in  a  similar  man¬ 
ner,  another  lesson  is  given  on  the  work  that  Mother  does  in  the 
home.  After  these  lessons  have  been  developed  in  this  manner 
upon  the  board,  hectographed  copies  are  given  to  the  children, 
first  for  review,  later  to  make  into  a  smaller  book  to  take  home. 

The  father  is  the  next  theme.  First,  the  father  in  the  home 
is  considered.  The  father  should  be  connected  with  thougths  of 
honor,  obedience  and  love.  Through  the  father  the  child  should 
be  able  later  to  interpret  God’s  relation  to  man.  Fathers  do  not 
always  assume  such  important  places  in  the  home  life  as  the 
mother.  But  certain  duties  fall  to  the  father,  especially  those 


18 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


which  represent  protection,  the  bearing  of  heavy  burdens  and 
tasks.  In  the  summer  he  cares  for  the  lawn  or  live  stock;  in  the 
winter  he  looks  after  the  furnace  and  the  fuel.  Probably  he 
does  some  work  in  mending  doors  and  windows  or  other  simple 
repairs  around  the  house.  He  sits  at  the  head  of  the  table  and 
says  grace  at  meals.  At  night  he  reads  the  paper,  in  the  sum¬ 
mer,  on  the  porch,  in  the  winter,  before  the  fire.  In  connection 
with  the  father  in  the  home,  we  fold  his  newspaper  and  read  from 
it  as  he  does.  We  cut  the  shovel,  the  rake,  the  lawn  mower. 
We  draw  Father  watering  the  lawn  and  tending  the  furnace. 
But  father  has  a  more  important  mission  than  doing  these 
few  things  around  the  house.  Each  day  he  spends  many  hours 
earning  money  to  buy  all  of  the  things  that  the  mother  and 
children  need.  Without  this  work  of  the  father,  there  would 
probably  be  no  home.  The  variety  of  occupations  which  are 
furnished  by  the  fathers  of  almost  any  class  will  give  much 
material  for  work  in  language  through  discussion,  for  pantomime 
games,  representing  the  different  trades  and  professions,  and 
much  work  in  drawing. 

These  drawings,  paper  cuttings  and  modelings  are  very 
crude.  The  inexperienced  teacher  must  not  be  discouraged 
because  of  this.  These  results  should  and  will  express  the 
child’s  conception  of  the  subject.  They  are  of  interest  to  the 
teacher  of  children  for  two  reasons:  first,  they  show  graphically 
how  the  mind  of  the  child  perceives;  second,  they  should  form 
a  basis,  through  comparison  with  the  adult’s  conception,  for 
adjusting  the  teaching  process  to  the  needs  of  the  child.  Do  not 
try  to  have  these  come  up  to  the  adult  standard.  That  will  not 
benefit  the  child;  it  will  only  crowd  out  the  basis  for  his  educa¬ 
tion.  (See  illustration  opposite  page  17.) 

Next  in  the  family  group  should  come  the  brother  “straight 
and  tall.”  He  should  have  a  part  in  the  work  of  the  home. 
Care  is  taken  to  discover  the  useful  things  he  does  in  each  home. 
His  relation  to  the  other  children  is  dwelt  upon;  his  spirit  of 
love  and  protection  toward  them  emphasized.  Some  of  his 
games  and  sports  are  shown  in  pantomime.  They  march  as  the 
boys  do  when  playing  soldier.  They  cut  him  with  his  books  or 
wagon.  They  fold  a  six-inch  square  on  one  diameter  and  read 
from  his  book.  They  draw  him  playing  foot  ball  or  some  other 
interesting  game. 

The  sister  with  her  doll  and  toys  is  our  next  topic.  She,  too, 
should  be  of  some  help  in  the  home.  She  plays  with  baby  while 
mother  is  busy,  picks  up  toys,  crumbs  the  table,  helps  with  the 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


19 


dishes.  Each  of  these  little  duties  can  be  worked  out  in  panto¬ 
mime  for  the  circle.  The  sister’s  jumping  rope  is  made  of  cord 
in  chain  stitch.  The  shawl  for  her  doll  Is  folded  on  a  diagonal. 
She  is  cut  from  paper,  is  drawn  in  many  ways  and  her  dolly  may 
be  modeled  in  clay.  They  all  love  to  sing: 

All  my  toys  are  dear, 

But  my  dolly,  pretty  Molly, 

She’s  the  one  I  love 

Best  of  all,  and  she’s  my  dove; 

She’s  my  darling  ch'Td, 

And  I  love  her,  just  as  mother 
Loves  dear  Tom  and  me; 

Mothers  always  do,  you  see. 

— French  Folksong. 


Last  of  the  family  comes  baby,  “dearest  of  all.”  Van  Dyck’s 
picture  of  Baby  Stuart  is  studied.  Other  pictures  of  babies,  some 
taken  from  magazines,  some  of  babies  dear  to  our  hearts,  are  ob¬ 
served  and  discussed.  All  of  the  interesting  things  that  the 
babies  at  home  do,  are  talked  of.  A  lullaby  is  learned  to  put  the 
baby  to  sleep. 

Bye-low,  bye-low, 

Baby’s  in  the  cradle  sleeping; 

Tip-toe,  tip-toe, 

Still  as  pussy  slyly  creeping. 

Bye-low,  bye-low. 

Rock  the  cradle,  baby’s  waking. 

Hush  my  baby,  oh! 

— Alys  Bentley’s  Song  Primer. 

The  children  memorize  the  old  German  lullaby: 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 

Thy  father  watches  his  sheep, 

Thy  mother  is  shaking  the  dreamland  tree. 

And  down  falls  a  little  dream  on  thee; 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep! 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep! 

The  large  stars  are  the  sheep! 

The  little  stars  are  lambs,  I  guess; 

And  the  gentle  moon  is  the  shepherdess. 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep! 


20 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


Sleep,  baby,  sleep! 

Our  Saviour  loves  bis  sheep; 

He  is  the  Lamb  of  God  on  high, 

Who  for  our  sakes  came  down  to  die. 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep! 

Some  of  the  Nursery  Rhymes  about  baby  are  memorized.  We 
read  and  study  the  poem  of  George  MacDonald,  “Where  Did  You 
Come  From  My  Baby,  Dear?” 

The  ball  which  is  held  in  Baby  Stuart’s  chubby  hands  is  the 
principal  toy  of  baby.  At  this  point  much  of  the  work  given  in 
connection  with  the  first  gift  in  the  kindergarten  can  well  be 
utilized.  Because  of  our  conditions,  we  use  but  part  of  the  ball 
material.  The  six  colored  balls  which  constitute  the  first  gift  are 
valuable  in  the  primary  work  for  sense  training  and  number 
work.  By  studying  them  as  baby’s  toy  the  needed  correlation  is 
secured.  In  the  observation  work  with  the  ball,  we  note  the  num¬ 
ber  of  things  it  can  do.  It  can  roll.  It  can  bounce.  It  can  fly  up.  It 
can  come  down.  It  is  compared  in  regard  to  shape  with  many 
things  familiar  to  the  child;  as  the  orange,  the  apple,  the  cherry. 
When  the  colored  balls  are  used,  they  are  compared  with  that 
which  is  alike  in  color  as  well  as  shape.  The  child  distinguishes 
those  objects  which  are  similar  to  the  ball  in  certain  respects, 
as  the  pipes,  clock  face,  flower  pots.  Later,  when  the  cylinder 
is  given  for  comparison  with  the  ball,  these  are  again  discussed 
and  identified.  The  ball  is  used  in  counting;  first,  the  colored  balls 
are  counted  to  see  how  many  of  each  color  are  thrown  into  the 
basket,  or  remain  on  the  floor;  second,  each  child  bounces  in  turn 
the  large  rubber  ball  while  the  rest  count  the  number  of  times 
the  ball  is  caught.  Those  who  reacb  the  desired  number,  which  is 
ten  at  first,  then  gradually  increased  to  100,  have  their  names  and 
score  written  on  the  board.  The  ball  lends  itself  to  clay  work  for 
little  hands,  better  than  any  other  object.  The  size,  smoothness, 
roundness,  and  number  of  balls  are  the  points  to  be  worked  to¬ 
ward.  The  ball  game  Which  we  use  and  which  is  brought  to  us 
from  the  kindergarten,  is  “Little  ball,  pass  along.”  This  song 
is  from  Walker  and  Jenks’  songs  for  Little  Folks,  and  is  played 
the  same  as  the  old  game  of  “Button,  button,  who’s  got  the 
button?” 

The  next  topic  for  discussion  is  the  days  of  the  week  and  what 
each  one  means  to  the  home.  This  can  be  taken  up  under  the 
mother’s  work,  but  we  leave  it  until  this  time,  for  if  taken  then  it 
separates  the  family  group  too  much.  If  possible,  we  discuss 
each  day  upon  the  day  of  the  week  which  corresponds  with  it. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


21 


Monday  is  the  traditional  washing  day.  The  old  nursery 
rhyme  is  studied: 

They  that  wash  on  Monday 
Have  all  the  week  to  dry; 

They  that  wash  on  Tuesday 
Are  not  so  much  awry; 

They  that  wash  on  Wednesday 
Are  not  so  much  to  blame; 

They  that  wash  on  Thursday 
Wash  for  very  shame; 

They  that  wash  on  Friday 
Must  only  wash  in  need; 

And  they  that  wash  on  Saturday 
Are  lazy  folks  indeed. 

This  rhyme  gives  an  opportunity  for  discussing  the  need  of 
doing  things  at  the  right  time.  But  the  principal  points  brought 
out  in  these  talks  are:  first,  the  need  of  washing,  the  pleasure 
of  clean  clothes,  the  dependence  of  health  upon  cleanliness;  and, 
second,  the  method  of  laundering  clothes  properly.  In  some  lo¬ 
calities  we  find  children  who  have  never  seen  the  process  carried 
out.  They  do  not  know  the  work  and  skill  necessary  to  give 
them  the  clean  dresses  which  are  so  quickly  soiled.  The  story 
of  the  Pig  Brother  is  told  to  the  children  at  this  time  as  a  begin¬ 
ning  for  the  many  lessons  we  must  give  in  cleanliness  and  orderli¬ 
ness  if  we  reach  the  results  desired. 

After  the  clothes  are  washed,  they  must  be  dried.  Some 
simple  experiments  are  made  which  show  the  children  the  effect  of 
sun  and  wind  upon  water  and  upon  the  water  which  remains  in 
the  clothes  after  washing.  Questions  then  elicit  the  following 
information:  Clothes  dry  best  on  a  clear,  sunshiny  day;  the 

sun  helps  to  dry  them;  the  wind  blows  them  and  pulls  the  water 
out. 

After  the  clothes  are  dry,  they  are  taken  down,  sprinkled 
and  folded  for  to-morrow’s  ironing.  When  possible  we  have  the 
children  wash  their  paint  cloths  or  some  of  the  furnishings  of  the 
last  year’s  house.  For  our  manual  work,  clay  is  used  to  model 
the  tubs,  boilers  and  baskets.  The  drying  clothes  are  represent¬ 
ed  in  both  paper  cutting  and  drawing.  There  are  several  songs 
which  furnish  dramatic  possibilities  for  games.  The  old  game  of 
The  Mulberry  Bush  is  one  of  the  best. 


22 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


This  is  the  way  we  wash  our  clothes, 

Wash  our  clothes,  wash  our  clothes. 

This  is  the  way  we  wash  our  clothes, 

So  early  Monday  morning. 

Two  excellent  songs  are  found  in  Holiday  Songs  by  Emilie 
Poulsson,  which  are  full  of  dramatic  action.  One  is  the  washing 
song,  which  describes  the  process  having  appropriate  actions;  the 
other  is  a  sprinkling  song,  showing  the  same  characteristics 

The  outline  for  the  other  days  are  as  follows: 

TUESDAY, — THE  IRONING  DAY. 

Materials:  Hot  stoves;  irons;  clean  boards.  Nature  Work: 
Means  of  making  fires,  fuels;  effect  of  heat  upon  cloth;  testing 
heat  of  iron.  Manual  Arts:  Drawing — (1)  ironing  boards,  (2) 
baskets,  (3)  irons;  clay — (1)  irons,  (2)  boards;  paper  cutting — 

(1)  clothes,  (2)  irons,  (3)  board,  (4)  stove.  Songs  and  Games: 
Mulberry  Bush,  two  verses;  Hot  Irons,  Hot  Irons.  Reading 
and  Writing:  Summary  of  talks;  writing  days  of  week. 

WEDNESDAY, — THE  MENDING  DAY. 

Ethical  Lessons:  Need — (1)  orderliness,  (2)  neatness,  applied 
to  care  of  wraps,  desks,  materials.  Manual  Arts:  Sewing,  6x6 
inches  cheese  cloth  hemmed  for  paint  cloths;  drawing — mother 
sewing.  Songs  and  Games:  Mulberry  Bush,  three  verses. 

THURSDAY, — THE  VISITING  DAY. 

Ethical  Lessons:  Receiving  guests,  forms  of  politeness,  rais¬ 
ing  hats,  shaking  hands,  verses  emphasizing  these.  Manual  Arts: 
Paper  cutting — making  card  case  and  cards;  drawing — people 
visiting.  Songs  and  Games:  I  Went  to  Visit  a  Friend  One  Day. 
Language:  In  each  case  a  talk  regarding  the  day  and  what  the 
activities  of  the  day  mean. 

FRIDAY, — THE  CLEANING  DAY. 

Hygiene:  Necessity  for  sweeping,  causes  of  dirt  in  house, 
danger  from  it — (1)  insects,  (2)  germs  which  cause  (a)  diseases 
through  inhaling  and  (b)  diseases  from  entering  skin.  Methods: 
Of  sweeping — (1)  experiments  (a)  with  broom  (b)  with  moist¬ 
ened  broom  (c)  with  wet  paper  or  sawdust  upon  the  floor,  (2) 
generalizations  as  to  best  method;  of  dusting — (1)  experiments 
(a)  observing  dust  particles  in  air  (b)  dusting  with  feather  duster 
(c)  dusting  with  cloth  (d)  dusting  with  oiled  cloth,  (2)  generali¬ 
zation.  Manual  Arts:  Raffia,  broom;  paper  cutting — (1)  broom, 

(2)  dust  pan.  Songs  and  Games:  Additional  verses  to  Mul¬ 
berry  Bush,  and  I  Went  to  Visit  a  Friend  One  Day;  Sweeping. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


23 


SATURDAY, — BAKING  AND  MARKETING  DAY. 

Hygiene  and  Ethical  Lessons:  Cleanliness,  need;  careful 
buying  of  food,  avoiding  foods  out  of  season,  proper  cooking, 
nourishing  foods.  Nature  Study:  *The  story  of  wheat.  Manual 
Arts.  Clay,  modeling, —  (1)  bread,  (2)  pies,  (3)  cakes,  (4)  roast 
chicken;  paper  cutting  and  drawing  those  things  which  mother 
cooks.  Songs  and  Games:  New  verses  added  to  the  Mulberry 
Bush,  and  I  Went  to  Visit  a  Friend  One  Day;  The  Cook. 

We  need  to  complete  the  week  cycle  with  Sunday  and  the 
things  we  do  on  that  day;  the  reason  for  going  to  church  and 
Sunday  school.  Many  of  the  children  of  this  age  are  cheated  out 
of  their  religious  training.  The  schools  at  present  can  do  but 
little  to  help  because  of  sectarian  prejudices;  but  that  which  can 
be  done  to  instill  in  the  child  reverence  for  holy  things,  respect 
and  obedience,  is  a  step  in  this  direction. 

Again  we  fold  our  books;  this  time  several  leaves  are  added  to 
our  book  and  sewn  in  place.  From  it  we  sing  the  songs  most 
generally  used  in  Sunday  school.  Later  the  book  is  used  for  the 
purpose  of  drawing  pictures  of  the  children  going  to  church  and 
Sunday  school  and  some  of  the  things  which  they  do  there.  The 
entire  song,  I  Went  to  Visit  a  Friend  One  Day,  is  sung  and  acted. 

The  church  is  cut  in  paper,  the  bells  are  both  cut  and  modeled. 
The  third  kindergarten  gift  consisting  of  eight  one-inch  cubes  is 
given.  With  these  blocks  the  church  may  be  built.  They  are 
compared  with  the  sphere,  cube  and  cylinder,  which  the  children 
have  already  studied.  Games  based  upon  these  forms  are  given. 

At  the  close  of  this  series  of  lessons  the  children  are  given  a 
large  sheet  of  paper  9x12  inches,  which  is  folded  to  form  three 
oblongs.  This  is  opened  and  again  folded  on  long  diameter  in 
order  to  make  six  oblongs.  In  each  space  the  children  draws 
those  things  which  represent  the  days  of  the  week.  (See  illus'- 
tration  opposite  page  25.) 

Every  family  has  a  home,  even  the  families  of  feather  and  fur 
have  homes.  Every  home  differs  from  every  other  home,  both  as 
to  the  physical  conditions  and  as  to  the  spiritual  conditions,  which 
is  termed  atmosphere.  Strange  to  say,  those  homes  which  excel 
as  to  physical  conditions  are  meagre  as  to  atmosphere.  Each 
group  of  children  will  furnish  a  variety  of  these  conditions.  What 
we  hope  to  gain  through  the  talks  and  work  with  the  house,  be¬ 
sides  the  knowledge,  is  an  attitude  toward  the  sacred,  ideal  condi- 


Best  reserved  until  food  problem  in  bakery  is  studied. 


24 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


tions  of  home,  and  a  development  in  aesthetic  and  cultural  ideals. 
This  will  have  more  or  less  hearing  upon  the  individual  homes. 

In  our  early  talks  we  include  the  birds  and  squirrels  as  home¬ 
makers.  We  find  as  many  different  bird’s  nests  as  we  can.  The  bare 
trees,  full  of  abandoned  nests,  furnish  a  topic  for  fall  study.  Some 
of  these  are  built  of  moss,  string  and  straw,  some  are  plastered 
with  mud,  some  are  made  in  the  grass. 

The  song  of  the  Trades  People  describe  many  of  these  homes 
and  furnish  us  with  a  good  song. 

The  swallow  is  a  mason, 

And  underneath  the  eves, 

He  builds  a  nest  and  plasters  it 
With  mud,  and  hay,  and  leaves. 

The  woodpecker  is  hard  at  work; 

A  carpenter  is  he; 

And  you  may  find  him  hammering 
His  home  high  up  a  tree. 

— Songs  in  Season. 

We  sing  and  play  the  following  kindergarten  games: 

The  Bird’s  Nest,  The  Pigeon  House,  which  includes  The 
Carpenter  song  from  the  Mother  Plays,  and  Mr.  Squirrel  in  Small 
Songs  for  Small  Singers.  The  Pigeon  House  forms  part  of  our 
games  and  songs  throughout  the  housebuilding  period,  as  it  de¬ 
scribes  the  work  of  the  carpenter  both  in  the  words  and  in  accom¬ 
panying  activities,  and  is  always  enjoyed  by  the  children.  We 
play  Rabbit  in  the  Hollow, — one  of  Mari  Hofer’s  Folk  Games. 

We  study  the  chicken  coops  and  introduce  the  triangular 
prism  blocks  which  represent  them.  These  blocks  are  discussed 
in  comparison  with  those  already  studied  and  form  the  basis  for 
observation  and  number  work.  We  model  the  bird’s  nest  and 
eggs  in  clay.  Drawing  furnishes  another  means  of  expressing  our 
study  of  homes. 

But  the  family  lives  in  a  house  made  of  brick,  stone,  or  wood. 
The  homes  of  the  animals  are  compared  with  the  homes  of  the 
children,  as  to  size,  materials  used,  shape  and  divisions.  The 
problem  of  why  children’s  homes  need  so  many  more  rooms  re¬ 
views  the  activities  of  the  home,  for  the  numerous  activities  of 
the  human  family  make  it  necessary  to  have  places  in  which  these 
may  be  enacted.  After  this  each  child  draws  his  own  home  and 
gets  interesting  results. 

At  this  point  of  our  work  we  tell  the  story  of  a  little  boy 
whose  name  this  year  is  Tom.  This  is  the  outline  of  the  story: 


I  and  II.  Illustrations  in  drawing  of  many  homes  III  and  IV.  Drawings  of  the  activities  of  the  week. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


25 


Tom,  with  his  father  and  mother,  lived  in  a  very  large  city,  up 
many  flights  of  stairs,  in  a  tall  building.  The  home  consisted  of 
four  small  rooms,  into  two  of  which  the  sun  shone  a  few  hours 
each  day.  When  Tom  looked  out  of  the  window,  instead  of  see¬ 
ing  hills  .covered  with  trees  and  fields  of  grain,  he  saw  only  the 
walls  of  other  tall  buildings. 

Tom  could  not  play  out  of  doors.  There  were  no  yards,  only 
streets  filled  with  many  people  and  wagons,  and  strips  of  park 
where  the  children  could  play  only  on  the  walks;  so  Tom  had  to 
play  most  of  the  time  in  the  four  rooms.  The  air  which  came 
into  his  windows  was  not  pure,  but  was  filled  with  dust  and  dis¬ 
ease  germs.  The  sun  did  not  shine  in  these  rooms  long  enough 
to  kill  all  of  these  germs. 

When  Tom  was  about  three  years  old  his  father  decided  that 
he  could  not  keep  his  son  in  the  city  any  longer,  for  he  was  be¬ 
coming  thin  and  pale.  So  he  bought  a  big  covered  wagon,  packed 
the  necessary  things  in  it,  and  carefully  arranged  a  place  for 
mother,  the  little  baby  sister,  and  Tom.  Then  they  drove  many 
miles  out  into  the  beautiful  country.  They  would  stop  at  night, 
cook  supper  over  a  fire  outdoors,  and  go  to  sleep  looking  up  at  the 
stars.  Finally  they  came  to  a  town  probably  as  large  as  Cape 
Girardeau.  Here  they  decided  to  stay  for  a  long  time.  They 
were  so  happy  to  get  away  from  the  city  with  its  smoke  and  dust 
that  they  did  not  want  to  live  in  a  house,  so  they  put  up  a  tent  on 
a  hill  and  lived  in  it.  (The  tent  and  life  in  it  are  described.) 

Tom  and  his  little  sister  grew  strong  and  chubby,  and  now 
there  was  a  little  baby  in  the  happy  family.  When  Tom  was  six 
3rears  old  and  was  ready  to  start  to  school,  his  father  decided  that 
they  must  build  a  house  for  Tom  to  live  in,  so  that  he  might  be 
like  other  boys  and  girls. 

Then  we  go  out  with  Tom’s  family  to  select  a  suitable  place 
for  the  home.  Several  things  have  to  be  considered  in  this  selec¬ 
tion:  (1)  nearness  to  the  school  and  church,  (2)  the  height  of 

the  land,  under  which  topic  drainage  is  discussed,  (3)  the  beauty 
of  the  surroundings  and  the  view  from  the  site.  After  the  lot 
has  been  selected,  it  has  to  be  bought.  This  can  not  be  discussed 
in  detail,  as  the  greater  part  of  the  discussion  would  be  beyond 
the  child’s  field  of  experience 

The  next  thing  that  the  family  must  consider  is  the  material 
from  which  the  house  is  to  be  built.  This  affords  an  opportunity 
for  the  study  of  processes.  Wood  is  taken  up  first  and  the  story 
of  its  manufacture  into  lumber  is  worked  out  from  the  tree  in  the 
forest  to  the  finished  lumber  for  the  house.  Pictures  are  found 
in  advertisements  and  magazine  articles  which  are  cut  out  and 


26 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


mounted  in  scrap  books  or  cards  to  illustrate  the  story.  The 
planing  mill,  which  is  the  only  sawmill  accessible  to  the  school 
was  visited.  Here  the  children  observed  the  lumber  sawed  'into 
different  sizes,  planed,  and  made  into  sashes  and  doors.  (See 
illustration  opposite  page  33.) 

The  carpenter,  who  does  the  work  with  wood,  is  discussed 
under  the  following  outline: 

1.  What  he  builds  and  repairs:  Houses,  porches,  barns,  and 
furniture. 

2.  His  tools:  Saw,  hammer,  plane,  bit,  square,  chisel. 

3.  Materials:  Boards,  shingles,  studding,  rafters,  nails,  etc. 

4.  Manner  of  working:  Carefulness,  accuracy — in  every  de¬ 
tail, — even  though  it  does  not  show. 

The  method  of  putting  on  weather-boarding  was  studied  from 
a  near-by  building — the  children  reproduced  through  drawing, 
the  mill  visited,  the  carpenter  at  work,  and  the  house  built  of 
wood.  The  logs  are  represented  by  cylinders  and  furnish  another 
form  for  observation  and  number  work.  In  our  songs  and  games 
we  have  again  the  Pigeon  House,  and  Trade  People,  and  take  up 
The  Brook. 

Certain  stories  in  Emilie  Poulsson’s  book  In  the  Child  World, 
are  closely  related  to  this  work.  The  “Logging  Camp”  gives  good 
word  pictures.  This  old-fashioned  rhyme  appeals  to  the  child’s 
love  for  repetition  and  addition  in  stories. 

This  is  the  Tree  in  the  forest. 

This  is  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  in  the  forest. 

This  is  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows, 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 

This  is  the  Log — to  the  river’s  side 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows, 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 

This  is  the  River  whose  flowing  tide 
Carried  the  Log  that  was  rolled  to  its  side, — • 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows, 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Gut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


27 


This  is  the  Wheel  that  went  whirring  round, 

Turned  by  the  River  whose  flowing  tide 
Carried  the  Log  that  was  rolled  to  its  side, — 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows. 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Gut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 

These  are  the  Saws  which,  with  buzzing  sound, 

Were  moved  by  the  Wheel  that  went  whirring  round, 
Turned  by  the  River  whose  flowing  tide 
Carried  the  Log  that  was  rolled  to  its  side, — 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows, 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 

These  are  the  Boards,  so  straight  and  long. 

Cut  by  the  Saws  which,  with  buzzing  sound, 

Were  moved  by  the  Wheel  that  went  whirring  round, 
Turned  by  the  River  Whose  flowing  tide 
Carried  the  Log  that  was  rolled  to  its  side,- — 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows, 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 

This  is  the  Carpenter,  skillful  and  strong, 

Who  planed  all  the  Boards,  so  straight  and  long, 

Cut  by  the  Saws  which,  with  buzzing  sound, 

Were  moved  by  the  Wheel  that  went  whirring  round, 
Turned  by  the  River  whose  flowing  tide 
Carried  the  Log  that  was  rolled  to  its  side, — 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows. 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 

This  is  the  House  with  its  windows  and  doors, 

With  timbers  and  rafters  and  roofs  and  floors. 

Which  was  built  by  the  Carpenter,  skillful  and  strong, 
Who  planed  all  the  Boards  so  straight  and  long, 

Cut  by  the  Saws  which,  with  buzzing  sound, 

Were  moved  by  the  Wheel  that  went  whirring  round, 
Turned  by  the  River,  whose  flowing  tide 
Carried  the  Log  that  was  rolled  to  its  side, — 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows, 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 


28 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


This  is  the  family — all  are  here — 

Father,  and  Mother,  and  Children  dear, 

vv  no  live  in  the  House  with  windows  and  doors, 

With  timbers  and  rafters  and  roofs  and  floors, 

Which  was  built  by  the  Carpenter,  skillful  and  strong, 
Who  planed  all  the  Boards  so  straight  and  long, 

Cut  by  the  Saws  which,  with  buzzing  sound, 

Were  moved  by  the  Wheel  that  went  whirring  round, 
Turned  by  the  River,  whose  flowing  tide 
Carried  the  Log  that  was  rolled  to  its  side, — 

Rolled  by  the  Woodman,  who  every  one  knows, 

Wielded  the  Ax  whose  steady  blows 
Cut  down  the  Tree  of  the  forest. 

— Emilie  Poulsson. 

The  story  of  the  Honest  Woodman  is  told  and  reproduced  at 
the  story  period. 

This  old  rhyme  is  read  and  memorized: 

If  all  the  seas  were  one  sea. 

What  a  great  sea  that  would  be! 

If  all  the  trees  were  one  tree. 

What  a  great  tree  that  would  be! 

If  all  the  axes  were  one  ax. 

What  a  great  ax  that  would  be! 

If  all  the  men  were  one  man, 

What  a  great  man  that  would  be! 

And  if  the  great  man  took  the  great  ax, 

And  cut  down  the  great  tree! 

What  a  splish-splash  that  would  be! 

Brick  was  taken  up  next.  Bricks  were  examined  and  broken 
to  find  out  the  material.  Experiments  were  made  by  making 
brick  of  clay  and  drying  them  in  the  sun,  in  the  dark  room  and  on 
the  radiator.  The  kiln  was  then  visited  in  order  to  see  the  pro¬ 
cess  of  making  brick.  The  back  of  the  Training  School  was 
studied  to  see  the  method  of  building  with  brick.  The  first  draw¬ 
ings  were  not  successful,  so  we  had  to  make  the  second  observa¬ 
tion  before  the  method  was  seen  accurately.  The  mason  who 
works  with  brick  is  studied  under  a  similar  outline  as  given  for 
the  carpenter.  In  the  study  of  brick,  we  use  the  rectangular 
prisms  corresponding  to  the  fourth  kindergarten  gift.  The  method 
of  building  with  brick  is  illustrated  with  these  and  then  copied  in 
drawing — 'houses  are  drawn  and  built  of  brick.  The  rectangular 
prisms  are  part  of  the  number-work  lessons. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


29 


Stone  follows  a  similar  outline  for  discussion.  A  brief  history 
of  stone  is  told  and  illustrated  by  sand,  clay  and  specimens  from 
Science  Hall.  The  children  immediately  begin  finding  their  own 
specimens.  The  quarry  is  visited  and  the  structure  of  stone  and 
method  of  blasting  are  noted.  The  many  ways  in  whic'h  the  stone 
is  used  is  observed  and  discussed;  the  large  blocks  are  saved  for 
building,  the  smaller  pieces  may  be  used  for  making  lime,  cement 
or  for  paving  street.  Then  the  stone  which  forms  part  of  our 
building  is  observed  and  the  shape  and  method  of  putting  together 
is  discussed.  The  children  are  allowed  to  experiment  with  tools 
in  chipping  the  stone. 

The  study  of  cement  and  concrete  is  not  taken  up,  as  it  is 
impracticable,  both  because  of  the  distance  to  the  plant  and  the 
complicated  process  of  manufacturing. 

After  having  studied  these  materials, — wood,  brick,  stone, — 
we  decide  upon  which  material  we  shall  use  in  building  Tom’s 
house.  Last  year  the  house  was  built  of  wood;  but  the  choice 
this  year  fell  upon  brick. 

Houses  can  not  be  built  without  plans,  therefore  a  plan  must 
be  made  for  Tom’s  house.  The  meaning  of  plan  had  to  be  en¬ 
larged  upon.  We  first  imagined  that  we  were  a  fly  on  the  ceiling 
looking  down  on  our  room.  What  could  he  see?  Then  we  drew 
just  what  the  fly  would  see.  This  should  be  the  plan  of  the  floor. 
It  is  hard  for  little  children  to  keep  out  of  the  drawings  the  walls 
and  other  objects  which  are  about  them.  These  plans  have  to  be 
drawn  several  times  before  the  child  gets  the  correct  impression. 

After  we  had  drawn  this  plan  we  studied  an  architect’s  book  of 
plans,  and  through  this  discussed  how  we  wanted  Tom’s  house  to 
be  built.  Last  year,  his  house  was  a  two-story  house  with  a  base¬ 
ment.  This  year  the  children  decided  upon  a  bungalow  type  hav¬ 
ing  two  dormer  rooms,  which  are  used  for  Tom’s  bed-room  and 
play-room.  Many  plans  were  drawn  on  blackboard  and  paper 
before  one  could  be  called  the  plan  for  Tom’s  house. 

After  securing  the  plan  we  must  next  consider  who  will  build 
the  house  and  how  many  men  will  have  to  work  on  it.  We  visit 
houses  in  the  community  under  process  of  building  and  notice  the 
number  of  men  at  work.  We  also  notice  where  the  men  begin  to 
work  on  the  house.  We  find  probably  seven  men  working.  We 
see  that  first  an  excavation  is  made  for  the  basement  and  that 
walls  of  stone  are  made  upon  which  the  walls  of  the  house  are 
built.  The  children  measure  on  the  playground  a  space  corre¬ 
sponding  to  the  size  of  the  house  to  be  built,  and  dig  some  of  the 
earth  for  the  foundation.  This  needs  work  in  the  number  class 


30 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


in  developing  the  foot  and  the  use  of  the  ruler  before  the  work  of 
measuring  out  of  doors  can  be  carried  out. 

Our  houses  are  built  of  orange  boxes,  as  they  make  a  conven¬ 
ient  unit  for  building.  Owing  to  the  need  of  covering  the  boxes 
before  finishing  them  inside,  after  reaching  the  point  mentioned 
above,  we  make  the  covering.  One  year,  it  was  a  wooden  house, 
and  the  covering  was  weather  boarding,  which  was  made  from 
strips  of  cardboard,  fastened  to  the  boxes  in  an  over-lapping  man¬ 
ner.  We  then  reviewed  the  songs  and  games  related  to  the  car¬ 
penter  and  the  carpenter  himself.  This  year,  as  our  house  is  of 
brick,  the  children  marked  off  brick  on  bogus  paper,  2x4  inches, 
and  colored  them  with  crayola.  It  required  patience  and  skill  to  lay 
brick  in  the  right  position.  With  this  work  we  review  the  mason, 
his  work,  his  tools,  the  materials.  We  sing  our  song  of  Trades 
People.  Throughout  the  building  period  we  sing  a  finger  play 
song,  Building  the  House,  and  ’Twas  This  Way  and  That  Way. 

As  the  work  of  building  the  house  is  begun  in  the  basement, 
we  begin  there  and  finish  each  room  as  we  build.  The  reason  we 
follow  this  plan  rather  than  that  of  finishing  the  whole  house, 
papering  the  house,  carpeting  the  house  and  so  on,  studying  each 
industry  and  selecting  the  material  for  the  whole  house,  is  be¬ 
cause  the  home  is  the  predominating  thought.  Each  room  is 
studied  as  representing  certain  essential  qualities  in  the  home 
life  and  everything  in  each  room  must  be  studied  and  selected 
with  that  as  the  fundamental  problem. 

The  questions  which  need  to  be  considered  in  the  furnishing 
of  the  basement  are  as  follows: 

Divisions:  Furnace  room;  coal  bins;  laundry. 

Manual  Work:  Finish  for  walls  and  floors;  furnishings  of 
each  room;  furnace,  (1)  methods  of  heating,  (2)  fuel,  (3)  visit  to 
heating  plant;  coal  bins;  shovel;  swinging  shelves  for  fruit; 
bench  of  wood  for  tubs;  tubs  of  clay;  washboard  of  wood  and 
corrugated  paper;  ironing  board  of  wood,  covered  with  muslin; 
chairs  and  tables  of  wood;  clothes  lines;  clothes  basket. 

The  lessons  discussed  in  hygiene  are  much  the  same  as  were 
taken  up  in  Monday’s  and  Tuesday’s  work.  We  review  our  songs 
and  games,  and  wash  our  paint  cloths  and  dusters. 

The  next  room  furnished  is  the  kitchen.  Our  discussion  and 
work  follows  this  outline: 

Purpose  of  Kitchen:  Its  importance  to  health  and  life;  clean¬ 
liness  must  be  exercised  everywhere. 

Treatment  of  Floor  and  Walls:  Must  be  finished  so  they  can 
be  constantly  cleaned. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


31 


Furniture:  Stove;  made  of  paper  or  wood — (1)  kinds  (a) 
wood  (b)  coal  (c)  gas;  discussion  of  fuel;  cooking  utensils,  made 
of  clay — (1)  kind  of  utensil,  (2)  care  of  utensils;  table,  wood; 
places  where  food  is  kept;  refrigerator — (1)  care  of  ice,  (2)  clean¬ 
liness  in  caring  for  refrigerator,  (3)  need  of  special  care  in  pre¬ 
serving  foods  on  account  of  disease  germs — (a)  safes  (b)  closets; 
sinks,  wood;  care  of  pipes;  chairs,  wood;  towels  and  curtains. 

In  this  discussion  too  much  emphasis  can  not  be  placed  upon 
the  correct  treatment  of  the  food  and  utensils  in  the  kitchen.  Not 
only  do  many  diseases  arise  from  this  cause,  but  a  great  propor¬ 
tion  of  the  unhappy  homes  comes  from  ignorance  of  the  care  and 
preparation  of  food.  If  the  body  is  not  nourished  by  properly 
prepared,  wholesome  food,  the  natural  craving  has  to  be  supplied 
by  stimulants  of  various  kinds,  which  lead  to  the  evils  that  are 
undermining  our  social  structure. 

The  dining-room  in  each  home  should  represent  good  cheer 
and  hospitality.  Our  talks  are  upon  this  subject  and  lead  up  to 
the  need  of  food,  the  right  way  to  partake  of  it,  with  an  emphasis 
upon  the  simpler  forms  of  etiquette  of  which  children  need  con¬ 
stantly  to  be  reminded. 

It  is  very  nice  to  think 

The  world  is  full  of  meat  and  drink, 

With  little  children  saying  grace 
In  every  Christian  kind  of  place. 

A  child  should  always  say  what’s  true 
And  speak  when  he  is  spoken  to, 

And  behave  mannerly  at  table; 

At  least  as  far  as  he  is  able. 

These  rhymes  of  Stevenson’s  are  memorized  and  applied  to 
our  behavior  at  table. 

We  then  discuss  the  furnishings  of  the  dining-room,  the  best 
color  scheme,  and  the  proper  treatment  of  walls  and  floor. 

The  manual  work  in  the  dining-room  consists  of  the  following: 
Designing  and  making  of  wall  paper;  weaving  of  rug;  making 
from  wood  of  (1)  table,  (2)  chairs,  (3)  serving  table;  making 
curtain,  tablecloths,  and  napkins  of  muslin;  selecting  appropriate 
pictures. 

In  connection  with  the  dining-room  study,  we  serve  a  simple 
lunch,  following  as  far  as  our  supplies  permit,  the  best  form  of 
table  service.  This  gives  the  children  opportunity  to  prepare  the 
table  and  lunch,  serve  it  properly,  and  partake  of  it.  The  class  is 
divided  in  groups  in  order  that  each  may  have  some  responsibility. 
We  have  some  invited  guest,  either  a  teacher  or  some  members  of 


32 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


another  class.  These  lunches  are  repeated  several  times  during 
the  year,  so  that  some  of  the  lessons  become  a  permanent  memory. 
All  children  do  not  need  these  lessons,  but  we  always  find  some  to 
whom  such  things  are  not  daily  occurrences.  It  is  an  uplift  to 
every  one  to  be  guests  occasionally.  During  the  lunch  we  discuss 
the  way  to  eat  properly  and  the  injury  to  the  stomach  from  im¬ 
proper  mastication  of  food. 

The  living-room,  which  is  the  center  of  the  home  life,  should 
represent  love,  happiness  and  contentment.  Here  the  family  is 
bound  together  by  common  interests  and  enjoyments.  The  rest 
of  the  house  simply  assist  in  making  the  life  in  this  room  perfect 
in  harmony.  In  the  talks,  each  member  of  the  family  group,  with 
his  interests  and  privileges,  is  brought  up  for  discussion.  Each 
one  has  to  remember  the  rights  of  the  other  and  act  accordingly 
if  we  are  going  to  have  happiness  and  contentment.  The  exam¬ 
ples  and  precepts  given  and  received  are  based  upon  our  daily 
experience,  and  are  enforced  in  our  class-rooms,  for  our  study- 
room  and  class-rooms  are  living-rooms  in  which  we  spend  six 
hours  each  day.  If  these  are  to  be  bright,  happy  hours,  our  con¬ 
duct  must  be  regulated  by  the  consideration  of  the  rights  of  the 
others  who  live  with  us.  This  room  is  treated  the  same  as  in  the 
outline  for  the  dining-room.  The  furniture  consists  of  a  couch, 
table,  armchair,  straight  chair  and  bookcase,  all  of  which  are 
made  of  wood. 

If  a  hall  is  added  to  the  first  floor,  we  wish  it  to  speak  in  every 
way  a  welcome  to  those  who  enter.  The  furnishing  must  be  sim¬ 
ple,  only  the  necessary  articles  being  made. 

The  bedrooms  bring  to  us  thoughts  of  rest;  the  need  of  rest; 
conditions  under  which  it  does  us  the  most  good.  We  discuss 
the  time  when  children  should  go  to  bed,  the  need  of  abundance 
of  fresh  air  while  we  sleep;  the  fact  that  many  draperies  hold 
dust  and  cause  the  air  to  become  impure.  The  lessons  of  neat¬ 
ness  and  orderliness  are  again  emphasized  in  discussing  the  care 
of  closets  and  dressers.  Tom’s  room  is  one  which  affords  much 
pleasure  in  furnishing.  We  wish  him  to  learn  the  same  lessons 
of  neatness  and  health  which  we  have  discussed.  Each  article 
of  furniture  is  designed  and  made  for  a  little  boy  who  has  grown 
very  real  to  us.  The  treatment  of  each  bedroom  follows  the 
general  outline  for  the  rooms. 

Between  Tom’s  room  and  his  mother’s  is  the  bath-room.  In 
furnishing  this,  an  opportunity  is  given  to  thoroughly  discuss  the 
need  and  means  of  bodily  cleanliness.  The  care  of  teeth,  hair  and 
nails  is  especially  emphasized,  even  to  exaggeration.  The  proper 


I,  II,  III  and  IV.  The  development  of  child’s  ideas  in  understanding-  the  plan  of  a  house. 
V  aud  VI.  Study  of  brick  laying-.  VII,  VIII  and  IX.  Drawing's  after  visit  to  Planing  Mill 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


33 


treatment  is  demonstrated  for  the  children,  and  special  comment 
made  upon  their  appearance. 

When  our  house  is  completed  Tom  and  his  family  move  in, 
and  at  recess  and  noon  their  home  life  is  carried  on  by  the  child¬ 
ren. 

The  treatment  of  walls  and  floors  needs  separate  considera¬ 
tion.  In  our  discussion  of  each  room  we  select  the  color  which 
seems  to  represent  the  thought  of  that  room.  We  discuss  the 
paper  found  on  that  room  at  home.  Tne  children  draw  samples 
of  their  paper.  Each  of  these  designs  is  talked  over  and  criti¬ 
cised,  until  a  standard  is  partially  formed.  Then  each  one  is 
given  a  strip  of  drawing  paper,  upon  which  he  makes  a  design  for 
the  room  under  consideration.  These  designs  are  again  discussed 
with  the  class  and  a  vote  taken  as  to  the  most  appropriate  and 
artistic  paper.  After  the  selection  is  made  a  strip  of  paper,  which 
forms  a  unit  for  the  wall  is  given  to  each  child.  The  selected  de¬ 
sign  is  made  upon  it.  Later  a  group  is  chosen  to  paper  the  house. 

Two  experiments  should  be  carried  out  in  connection  with  the 
papering  of  the  house.  One  is  to  visit  a  paper  hanger’s  if  there  is 
one  accessible  to  the  school.  The  method  of  caring  for  wallpaper 
and  of  selling  it,  should  be  observed,  and  the  designs  which  are 
considered  suitable  for  the  different  rooms,  should  be  criticised. 
The  trade  of  paper-hanging  can  also  be  taken  up  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  carpenter  and  mason.  The  second  experiment  is 
the  making  of  paste  to  be  used  in  papering  the  house. 

The  floor  coverings  bring  up  another  problem.  In  the  kitchen, 
the  floor  is  covered  with  linoleum.  The  design  is  made  first  with 
the  square  and  triangular  tablets,  which  constitute  the  seventh 
kindergarten  gift.  We  then  make  a  sample  design  upon  squared 
paper.  The  one  to  be  made  for  the  house  is  selected  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  wallpaper,  and  the  linoleum  is  finally  made  as  a 
group  problem.  The  other  floors  are  treated  as  hardwood  floors 
and  covered  with  rugs.  It  would  be  well  to  visit  a  carpet  store  to 
study  the  designs,  methods  of  caring  for  and  showing  carpets  and 
rugs.  A  piece  of  carpet  is  then  unraveled  and  the  question  of 
what  it  is  made  and  how  it  is  woven  is  taken  up.  The  previous 
experience  of  weaving  the  paper  and  linen  kindergarten  mats  is 
reviewed.  This  also  furnishes  the  children  an  opportunity  for 
experimenting  with  designs.  If  the  clothing  problem  is  not  to  be 
taken  up  later,  this  is  the  time  to  study  wool,  from  the  pelt 
through  the  processes  of  cleaning,  carding  and  combing,  spinning 
and  dying.  As  we  study  the  clothing  problem,  we  leave  this  until 
that  time.  But  we  discuss  the  various  materials  from  which 
carpets  and  rugs  are  made,  as  straw,  cotton  or  woolen  rags,  and 


34 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


woolen  warp.  A  sample  rug  may  be  made  from  each  material,  so 
that  the  children  may  have  a  basis  for  their  choice  in  selecting 
the  rugs.  This  year  we  are  to  visit  Mrs.  Brenecke,  who  weaves 
rag  rugs  upon  a  somewhat  primitive  loom,  and  observe  bow  she 
sets  up  the  loom  and  weaves.  We  will  then  make  our  rugs  upon 
wooden  looms,  some  of  rags,  some  of  jute,  in  colors  to  harmonize 
with  the  color  scheme  of  each  room. 

As  the  furniture  for  each  room  is  made,  designs  for  this  fur¬ 
niture  is  studied  in  catalogues,  such  as  the  Craftsman.  The 
children  measure  and  saw  their  own  material  and  put  it  together. 
It  is  then  stained  with  easy  dyes  and  rubbed  with  cotton  waste. 
The  making  of  curtains,  bedding,  cushions,  and  couch  covers 
furnishes  much  experience  in  simple  sewing. 

One  of  the  things  we  expect  the  children  to  gain  from  this 
work  beside  the  language,  number  work  and  ethical  lessons 
brought  out  in  the  discussions,  is  an  appreciation  for  appropriate 
color  schemes,  furnishings  which  will  harmonize,  and  simple, 
artistic  designs  in  furniture.  Through  these  we  hope  to  estab¬ 
lish  some  standards  which  may  counteract  the  desire  for  cheap 
tawdriness.  We  also  want  to  teach  the  'interdependence  of  society 
and  the  home,  through  the  study  of  the  many  people  of  various 
trades,  and  the  making  of  many  rooms,  each  with  its  separate 
function,  which  are  needed  to  form  a  home  where  love  and  happi¬ 
ness  and  contentment  should  be  found.  We  hope  through  con¬ 
crete  work  to  impress  deeply  upon  the  child  mind  lessons  of  neat¬ 
ness,  cleanliness  of  each  part  of  the  home  and  of  the  body,  and 
the  necessity  for  rest,  sleep,  fresh  air  and  wholesome  food.  We 
are  able  to  relate  through  this  problem  the  work  in  language, 
reading,  literature,  numbers,  observation  and  sense-training, 
drawing  and  other  forms  of  the  manual  arts,  and  the  songs  and 
games. 

The  following  is  a  type  lesson  on  rug-making  in  its  completed 
form: 

Floors  are  covered  with  carpets  and  rugs. 

These  are  made  of  rags,  wool  and  straw. 

They  are  woven  on  looms. 

They  have  two  sets  of  threads. 

One  set  is  fastened  to  the  loom. 

This  is  called  the  warp. 

It  is  not  always  of  the  same  material  as  the  other  threads. 

The  second  set  of  threads  is  the  woof. 

It  is  put  over  and  under  the  warp  threads. 

We  weave  the  paper  and  linen  mats  in  the  same  way. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


35 


In  rag  rugs  the  woof  is  made  of  strips  of  cloth. 

The  warp  is  like  a  string. 

The  rags  were  cut  in  straight,  narrow  strips. 

We  sewed  these  strips  together. 

Then  they  were  wound  in  a  large  ball. 

We  strung  the  loom  with  carpet  chain. 

Then  we  threaded  the  shuttle  with  the  rags. 

We  put  the  shuttle  over  one  warp  thread  and  under  one. 

When  we  had  the  woof  across  the  loom  we  pushed  it  up  close. 
Some  rugs  are  made  of  straw. 

These  are  called  matting. 

We  made  one  out  of  raffia. 

Our  warp  threads  were  plain. 

But  the  woof  was  in  two  colors. 

The  rug  was  of  red  with  a  black  border. 

We  made  a  rug  of  wool  for  the  living-room. 

The  wool  of  our  warp  came  from  a  sheep. 

When  it  was  on  the  sheep  it  was  fleece. 

They  cut  the  fleece  oft. 

The  tangles  were  straightened  with  a  sharp  brush. 

This  was  a  carding  comb. 

Then  the  wool  was  spun  into  thread  on  a  wheel. 

Many  of  the  smaller  threads  were  twisted  together  to  make 
this  heavy  thread,  or  yarn. 

The  warp  is  of  wool  also. 

This  rug  will  have  two  colors. 

They  are  brown  with  two  yellow  stripes  at  each  end. 


II.  FOOD  PROBLEM. 

These  problems  center  around  the  building  of  the  stores  and 
the  discussion  of  the  goods  found  in  the  stores.  They  are  taken 
up  by  the  advanced  first  grade,  thus  making  it  possible  to  carry 
the  social  study  beyond  the  home,  yet  dealing  constantly  with 
the  child’s  experience.  A  new  center  of  interest  is  furnished 
through  these  for  those  children  who  remain  in  the  first  grade  two 
years.  But  the  more  advanced  children  work  out  the  whole  ser¬ 
ies  of  problems  in  one  year. 

The  food  study  begins  in  October  and  is  carried  through  No¬ 
vember.  We  observe  and  discuss  the  preparation  made  by  nature 
and  man  for  the  approaching  winter.  These  language  and  nature 
talks  are  upon  the  following  subjects: 


36 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


I.  Change  in  vegetation  due  to — (1)  ripening  of  seeds  (a) 
the  fulfillment  of  plants’  life,  (2)  effect  of  Jack  Frost. 

II.  Preparation  of  trees;  change  and  falling  oif  leaves;  protec¬ 
tion  of  leaf  buds. 

III.  Preparation  of  animals. 

Those  who  remain  in  this  climate;  thickened  coats;  storing  of 
food;  safe  hiding  places  from  cold;  birds;  food  of  birds  that  stay. 

Migration  of  animals  and  birds;  names;  reason  for  migration 
—  (1)  food  (a)  kinds. 

IV.  Man’s  preparation  for  winter: 

Storing  of  fuel — (1)  kind  (a)  methods  of  heating;  changes 
in  clothing — (1)  material,  (2)  quantity;  storing  of  food — (1) 
kinds  of  food  stored,  (2)  from  where  obtained. 

Man’s  advantage  over  animals. 

V.  The  farmer. 

Review  work  of  spring  and  summer,  plowing,  sowing,  cultiva¬ 
ting  crops,  care  of  live  stock.  Full  work:  Harvesting  crops,  stor¬ 
ing  for  winter,  hay  in  barns  and  stacks,  corn  in  barn,  or  to  mill  to 
be  ground;  wheat — ground  into  flour,  potatoes;  planting  wheat 
for  next  year;  care  of  stock,  food,  beds.  Winter  work:  Care  of 
stock,  mending  tools,  providing  fuel  for  house. 

VI.  Songs  and  games:  Farmer  in  the  Dell;  Oats,  Peas, 
Deans  and  Barley  Grow;  Do  You  Know  How  the  Farmer? 

Many  field  trips  are  made  during  the  fall;  out  on  the  campus 
to  notice  the  changing  leaves;  to  the  Normal  farm  to  observe  the 
different  grains  and  vegetables  which  had  been  planted — (1)  how 
they  grew,  (2)  how  they  were  harvested,  and  (3)  what  was  left 
on  the  field;  to  the  Home  of  the  Birds  to  see  which  birds  are  still 
with  us;  again  to  the  campus  and  woods  to  secure  twigs  in  order 
to  observe  the  leaf  buds. 

The  many  things  for  which  we  are  thankful  are  enlarged  upon 
from  day  to  day.  Of  the  food  products,  corn,  pumpkin,  and  tur¬ 
keys  receive  the  most  attention,  as  they  are  essentially  American. 
But  this  discussion  includes  health,  clothing,  homes  and  many 
things  which  are  sometimes  forgotten  in  our  prayers  of  thanks. 
A  story  which  comes  from  a  forgotten  source,  of  a  small  boy 
who  develops  a  case  of  mumps  upon  Thanksgiving  eve  and  has  to 
remain  at  home,  furnishes  the  medium  for  arousing  some  of  these 
ideas.  This  year,  a  teacher  told  the  children  of  a  visit  to  a  school 
farther  down  the  state,  where  one  of  their  former  teachers  now 
works.  The  account  of  the  different  school  conditions  of  these 
other  children  made  a  great  impression  upon  them.  Later,  when 
we  were  discussing  the  many  things  for  which  we  were  thankful, 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


37 


their  minds  reverted  to  this  story,  and  they  included  much  that 
surrounded  them  in  school. 

In  the  manual  work  a  farm  is  built  upon  the  sand  table,  repre¬ 
senting  it  ready  for  the  coming  winter,  with  vegetables  stored  in 
barns  and  hay  in  stacks. 

The  songs  and  poems  selected  for  November  are  upon  the 
harvest  and  the  special  crops  which  are  causes  for  thansgiving. 
One  song  gives  us  a  good  summary  for  our  talks: 

The  hay  and  straw  are  in  the  stack,  the  corn  is  in  the  bin, 

And  peace  and  plenty  now  abound  the  farmer’s  home  within. 

The  autumn’s  store  of  nuts  is  housed  up  in  the  attic  high, 

While  strings  of  good  things  hang  upon  the  rafter  beams  to  dry. 
Old  Mother  Earth  has  yielded  up  a  rich,  abundant  store 
Of  fruits  and  nuts  and  golden  grains,  full  measure,  running  o’er. 
And  now  with  snow  upon  the  fields  and  fire  upon  the  hearth, 

Man  must  return  thanksgiving  for  the  bounteous  gifts  of  earth. 

— Dorothy  Gaynor. 

We  study  the  little  stanza  for  the  month: 

The  happy  thank-you  day  has  come. 

And  harvest  time  is  past. 

We’ve  gathered  fruits  and  nuts  and  grains, 

Will  say  good-by  at  last; 

Good-by  to  Autumn,  Autumn  dear, 

And  with  our  parting  words 

Will  sing  our  thanks  to  God  above, 

For  fruits  and  trees  and  birds. 

D.  H.,  Child  Garden. 

In  December  we  continue  this  work  by  enlarging  upon  the 
ways  of  storing  or  preserving  foods,  and  the  kinds  and  parts  of 
food  stored.  We  find  that  food  may  be  preserved  by  burying, 
drying,  salting,  smoking,  by  grinding  into  flour  or  meal,  by  keep¬ 
ing  in  cool,  dark  places,  as  in  barns  and  cellars,  or  in  cold-storage 
plants.  The  kinds  of  food  thus  preserved  are  meats,  certain  fruits 
and  vegetables  and  grains.  The  different  kinds  of  food  may  be 
stored  in  barns,  cellars,  store-rooms,  elevators,  warehouses,  and 
stores.  The  following  questions  furnish  the  needed  step  for  the 
connection  with  the  store:  Can  we  go  to  the  farmer  to  get  all  of 
these  things?  Where  are  they  stored  so  we  can  get  them?  In 
what  store  do  we  find  most  of  these  things? 

This  discussion  reviews  the  previous  work  in  Nature  Study.  In 
connection  with  the  topic  of  preserving  foods,  some  simple  experi¬ 
ments  are  made.  Apples  are  pared,  sliced  and  dried  in  the  sun; 


38 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


peas  or  beans  are  dried  in  the  same  way.  Potatoes  are  kept  in 
the  warm  school-room,  while  others  are  put  in  a  cooler,  darker 
room  in  the  basement,  and  the  effect  upon  each  set  noted.  To¬ 
matoes  may  be  canned  with  very  llittle  trouble,  if  the  garden  can 
furnish  any  ripe  ones  at  the  season  this  is  studied. 

The  physical  conditions  of  the  grocery  store  then  becomes  the 
center  of  discussion  and  work.  The  study  follows  the  following 
outline: 

I.  The  Store:  By  whom  owned;  location,  why  found  gener¬ 
ally  on  corners;  general  appearance;  number  of  rooms;  arrange¬ 
ment  of  furniture;  method  of  keeping  stock;  tools  and  imple¬ 
ments  used — (1)  scales,  (2)  measures. 

II.  The  Work  of  the  Grocer:  Care  of  store  and  stock — (1) 
keeping  shelves  in  order,  (2)  keeping  everything  clean  and  well 
dusted;  the  selling  of  goods — (1)  how  sold  (introducing  use  of 
money),  (2)  how  measured;  replenishing  of  stock — (1)  where 
procured  (a)  from  farmer  (b)  from  larger  stores  (wholesale), 
(2)  how  transported  (a)  wagons  (b)  railroads  (c)  steamboats; 
keeping  accounts — (1)  of  goods  sold,  (2)  of  money  received; 
hiring  and  paying  clerks. 

III.  The  Interdependence  of  Grocer  and  Community:  Value 
of  grocer  to  community;  the  grocer’s  dependence  upon  the  people; 
his  dependence  upon  different  means  of  transportation;  condition 
of  community  without  a  grocer;  the  grocer’s  pay. 

IV.  Ethical  Lessons:  Grocer’s  duties — (1)  cleanliness,  (2) 
orderliness,  (3)  honesty  (a)  in  weight  and  measure  (b)  in  money 
(c)  in  properly  representing  goods;  communities’  duties — hon¬ 
esty  to  grocer  in  paying  debts  promptly. 

The  work  correlated  with  this  is: 

1.  Manual  Training:  A  box  about  24x18  inches  is  the  store 
building.  While  this  outline  is  being  developed,  a  visit  is  made  to 
a  store  and  the  children  observe  the  various  points  that  have  been 
discussed.  They  also  observe  the  treatment  of  the  walls,  shelves, 
counters  and  other  furnishings.  In  building  the  store,  wre  do  not 
again  discuss  the  methods  of  erecting  a  house,  but  proceed  to 
cover  the  outside  of  the  box  with  construction  paper  or  wallpaper 
of  solid  color.  The  shelves  and  counters  are  made  of  wood;  these 
are  measured,  sawed  and  put  together  by  the  children.  Paper 
boxes  are  made  to  contain  the  various  cereals.  Cans  and  bottles 
are  made  of  clay,  the  one  covered  with  tinfoil  and  labelled,  the 
other  painted  red  for  catsup,  and  blue  for  bluing.  Vegetables  and 
fruits  are  made  of  clay. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


39 


2.  Number:  Besides  the  work  in  measurements  which  comes 
in  connection  with  construction,  the  following  problems  are  taken 
up  through  experimentation — (1)  liquid  measure,  (2)  dry  meas¬ 
ure  to  pecks,  (3)  avoirdupois,  simple  balance  constructed,  (4) 
money,  buying  and  selling  goods  in  store. 

3.  Language:  A  booklet  is  written  upon  the  work  in  each 
store.  Usually  only  one  phase  of  the  work  is  used.  In  the  work 
of  the  grocery  store,  we  select  the  different  methods  of  preserving 
foods.  The  method  followed  in  all  of  this  written  work  is  similar. 
The  teacher  develops  through  questions,  point  by  point,  the  topic 
which  has  been  previously  discussed.  The  answers  which  the 
children  give  to  these  questions  are  written  upon  the  board.  The 
children  then  read  them  over  to  see  if  they  express  their  knowl¬ 
edge  clearly.  They  are  taught  through  this  to  criticise  the  use  of 
words,  to  appreciate  simple  sentence  structure,  and  to  give  clear 
expression  to  thought.  Some  times  this  booklet  is  written  as  the 
discussion  progresses  from  day  to  day;  again,  it  is  written  after 
the  series  of  lessons  are  completed,  thus  furnishing  a  good  sum¬ 
mary. 

The  stores  which  are  studied  and  constructed  in  connection 
with  the  food  problem  are  the  grocery  store,  butcher  shop,  dairy, 
and  bakery.  Practically  the  same  outline  is  followed  in  the  build¬ 
ing  of  each  store  as  is  given  for  the  grocery  store.  Necessarily 
there  are  changes  in  regard  to  the  stock  found  in  the  store  and  its 
form  before  its  appearance  in  that  store. 

With  the  butcher  store  we  study  the  anJimals  furnishing  meat, 
— cows,  pigs,  sheep,  chickens;  their  food,  which  brings  us  back 
to  the  farm  and  vegetable  life  again;  the  methods  of  preserving 
meat;  various  parts  used  as  food;  products  from  animals, — lard, 
mutton,  sausage,  etc. 

In  working  out  the  dairy  problem,  we  chose  the  farm  rather 
than  the  store,  as  this  community  furnishes  us  this  type.  There  is 
no  dairy  farm  near  the  school,  so  we  visited  one  of  the  farms 
where  there  were  a  few  cows.  In  discussing  the  care  of  the  barns 
and  cows,  the  importance  of  cleanliness  was  emphasized  and  the 
danger  of  disease  germs  in  the  milk,  especially  of  typhoid  germs, 
was  shown.  The  laws  enforced  in  many  states  regarding  the  care 
of  the  cows,  the  milking  utensils,  and  even  -the  clothing  of  the  one 
who  does  the  milking,  were  told  the  children.  The  kindergarten 
literature  furnishes  us  with  several  suggges-tions  and  stories: 
“The  Story  the  Milk  Told  Me,”  in  In  the  Child’s  World,  and  a 
series  of  well-developed  stories  in  the  Kindergarten  Stories  and 
Morning  Talks,  picturing  the  many  things  which  the  cow  gives  us, 
furnish  an  interesting  development  of  the  story  of  milk. 


40 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


The  dairy  farm  was  built  upon  the  sand  table;  it  consisted  of  a 
large  pasture,  in  which  was  a  pond,  a  barn  yard  having  a  barn,  a 
pump,  and  a  spring-house  with  tiled  floor,  a  wagon  filled  witn 
milk  bottles  ready  to  start  to  town,  and  the  animals.  A  windmill 
was  added  later  at  the  suggestion  of  the  kindergarten  children, 
who  felt  the  farm  was  incomplete  without  it. 

The  problem  taken  up  for  experiment  was  the  care  of  cream 
and  the  making  of  butter.  The  children  scalded  all  of  the  utensils, 
— the  dashers,  quart  fruit  jars,  and  dishes  for  working  the  butter. 
While  the  churning  was  being  done,  the  children  were  lead  to 
understand  the  reason  for  securing  cream  from  milk,  the  right 
temperature  for  the  cream,  and  again  the  need  of  cleanliness. 
After  the  butter  had  come,  some  had  the  surprise  of  finding  but¬ 
ter-milk  in  the  jar.  When  the  butter  was  ready,  we  set  the  table 
and  served  our  lunch  of  crackers,  butter,  and  butter-milk. 

One  of  our  songs  is  from  Eleanor  Smith’s  Music  Primer, 
“Molly  and  I.” 

Stevenson’s  poems  always  touch  the  child’s  nature.  This  one 
of  the  cow  helps  us  at  this  time: 

THE  COW. 

The  friendly  cow  all  red  and  white, 

I  love  with  all  my  heart: 

She  gives  me  cream  with  all  her  might, 

To  eat  with  apple-tart. 

She  wanders  lowing  here  and  there. 

And  yet  she  cannot  stray, 

All  in  the  pleasant  open  air, 

The  pleasant  Tight  of  day. 

And  blown  by  all  the  winds  that  pass 
And  wet  with  all  the  showers, 

She  walks  among  the  meadow  grass 
And  eats  the  meadow  flowers. 

The  study  of  wheat  is  taken  up  in  connection  with  the  bakery.. 
The  story  is  told  of  the  little  girl  who  loved  her  father  so  much 
that  she  wanted  to  make  him  a  loaf  of  bread  without  any  one  help¬ 
ing  her.  So  she  told  her  mother,  who  sent  her  to  the  cook  for  the 
material.  But  the  cook  said  that  the  flour  came  from  the  grocer’s, 
so  she  would  have  to  go  there  for  it.  She  went  to  the  grocery 
store  and  said:  “Mr.  Grocer,  I  love  my  father  so  that  I  want  to 
make  a  loaf  of  bread  for  him  all  by  myself.  The  cook  told  me  that 
I  would  have  to  come  to  you  for  the  flour,  for  she  could  not  help 

9f 


me. 


I.  House  built  in  1909. 
II.  Detail  of  Furniture. 
III.  Grocery  Store. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


41 


“But  I  got  the  flour  from  the  miller,”  said  the  grocer.  “I 
would  give  it  to  you,  but  if  you  want  to  make  this  bread  all  by 
yourself,  you  wiill  have  to  go  to  the  miller.” 

So  the  little  girl  went  to  the  mill,  where  the  big  wheels  were 
turning.  There  she  saw  Mr.  Miller  with  a  white  cap  and  white 
apron. 

“Mr.  Miller,”  the  little  girl  began,  “I  love  my  father  so  much 
that  I  want  to  make  a  loaf  of  bread  for  him  all  by  myself.  1S0 
cook  could  not  give  me  the  flour,  as  she  had1  bought  it  of  the 
grocer.  The  grocer  could  not  give  it  to  me  for  he  had  bought  it 
from  you.  So,  Mr.  Miller,  I  have  come  for  the  flour.” 

“Oh,”  said  the  Miiller,  “I  can’t  give  you  the  flour,  for  that 
would  be  helping  you.  The  farmer  brings  me  wheat  to  grind  into 
flour.  Go  to  the  farmer  and  get  the  wheat.  Then  I  will  grind  it 
into  flour  for  you.” 

So  the  little  girl  trudged  along  the  road  until  she  reached  the 
farm.  When  she  met  the  farmer,  she  said,  “Mr.  Farmer,  give  me 
some  wheat,  please,  that  I  may  take  it  to  the  mill  and  have  it 
ground  into  flour.  For  I  am  going  to  make  a  loaf  of  bread  for 
my  father  all  by  myself.  Cook  could  not  give  me  the  flour,  for 
she  had  bought  it  of  the  grocer.  The  grocer  could  not  give  me 
the  flour  as  he  had  gotten  it  from  the  miller.  The  miller  could 
not  give  me  the  flour  for  you  had  brought  him  the  wheat  to  grind 
into  flour,  so  I  have  come  to  you.” 

Then  the  farmer  took  the  little  girl  out  to  the  field  and  saiid, 
“I  do  not  make  the  wheat.  I  only  plow  the  ground,  and  plant  the 
seed,  but  that  does  not  make  it  grow.  The  soft  ground  cares  for 
it.  The  rain  falls  on  it.  The  snow  covers  it  during  the  winter. 
In  the  spring  the  sun  shines  on  it  and  the  rain  and  breezes  wake  it 
and  make  it  grow  until  it  is  ready  to  cut.  No  one  can  grow  the 
wheat  all  by  himself.  For  God  has  to  send  the  sun  and  rain  and 
snow  to  care  for  the  wheat.” 

Then  the  little  girl  went  slowly  back  to  the  cook,  took  the  flour 
and  made  the  bread.  She  learned  that  she  could  not  make  the 
loaf  of  bread  all  by  herself,  no  matter  how  much  she  loved  her 
father. 

Another  story,  “From  Seed  to  Loaf,”  which  deals  more  partic¬ 
ularly  with  the  care  and  growth  of  the  wheat,  is  found  in  one  of 
the  Spring  Plan  Books.  This  story  is  told  and  illustrated  with  pic¬ 
tures  taken  from  magazines  and  advertisements.  Through  these 
we  study  the  planting  of  the  wheat  in  the  fall,  the  hills  in  the  dis¬ 
tance  showing  us  their  green  fields  during  the  winter  as  examples; 
the  harvest  in  June;  and  the  mill  where  it  is  ground,  put  in  sacks 
and  barrels,  and  later  sold  to  the  grocer  and  baker. 


42 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


Many  -poems  and  stories  contribute  to  the  story  of  wheat: 

Back  of  the  bread  is  the  snow  flour; 

Back  of  the  flour  is  the  mill; 

Back  of  the  mill  the  growing  wheat 
Nods  on  the  breezy  hill; 

Over  the  wheat  is  the  glowing  sun 
Ripening  the  heart  of  the  grain 
Above  the  sun  is  the  gracious  God, 

Sending  the  sunlight  and  rain. 

Blow!  wind,  blow!  Go!  mill,  go! 

That  the  miller  may  grind  his  corn, 

That  the  baker  may  take  it, 

And  into  rolls  make  it, 

And  bring  us  some  hot  in  the  morn. 

The  Johnny  Cake  poem  traces  the  story  of  corn  in  a  similar 
manner,  should  there  be  sufficient  time  to  study  two  grains  so 
thoroughly. 

In  our  games  we  play  The  Windmill,  The  Green  Mill,  and 
Jolly  Is  the  Miller. 

The  process  of  bread-making  was  studied  through  actual 
experience.  The  dough  was  mixed  in  the  morning,  the  teacher 
explaining  the  importance  of  each  step.  The  nature  of  yeast  was 
explained,  which  adds  to  the  interest  in  watching  the  growth  of 
the  bread.  The  recipe  was  written  upon  the  board  and  copied 
into  a  book  of  recipes  which  the  children  made  with  this  store.  By 
twelve  o’clock  the  dough,  which  had  been  placed  in  a  sunny  win¬ 
dow  and  which  had  been  visited  frequently  during  the  morning, 
was  made  into  loaves.  These  were  ready  to  bake  by  1:15  p.  m. 
The  class  took  the  bread  to  Science  Hall  for  the  purpose.  The 
heating  of  the  oven,  the  effect  of  the  heat  upon  the  bread,  and 
the  time  required  for  baking  were  discussed  while  waiting  for  the 
right  moment  to  put  the  bread  in  the  oven.  While  the  bread  was 
baking,  butter  was  churned;  so  when  the  bread  was  finished  we 
had  made  for  ourselves  a  feast.  The  fact  that  this  was  furnishing 
a  review  of  work  studied  in  connection  with  our  house,  and  more 
recently  in  the  dairy  problem,  was  disguised  by  the  joy  of  having 
“a  party.” 

Two  other  problems  were  studied  in  a  similar  way,  the 
making  of  small  drop  cakes  and  of  candy.  These  recipes  were 
each  written  upon  the  board,  as  the  article  was  made,  and  copied 
on  loose  sheets  for  the  small  volume  which  was  to  be  taken  home 
to  mother.  One  small  boy  said,  “I  am  so  glad  that  we  can  take 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


43 


them  home  to-day,  for  mother  is  going  to  make  some  bread  like 
ours  and  she  needs  the  recipe.” 

We  sing  as  we  cook.  In  Songs  of  the  Child  World1  is  ‘‘The 
Song  of  the  Loaf  of  Bread,”  which  helps  us.  In  Lilts  and  Lyrics 
are  three  songs  which  give  us  the  whole  cycle  of  bread.  We  also 
play  and  sing,  “Oh,  Have  You  Seen  the  Muffin  Man?”  Some  of 
the  loaves  and  cakes  made  for  the  store  are  very  realistic, 
especially  those  which  represent  the  Gingerbread  Boy. 


III.  THE  CLOTHING  PROBLEM. 

The  clothing  problem  is  begun  with  the  study  of  textiles;  the 
materials  from  which  the  different  children’s  clothes  are  made 
furnish  the  starting  point.  Just  which  textile  is  studied  first 
makes  little  difference  and  the  choice  is  usually  decided  by  the 
tendency  of  the  class  toward  one  fabric.  Last  year  the  first 
topic  selected  was  cotton  A  history  of  cotton  from  the  seed  up 
to  the  cloth  is  studied  through  discussions  and  illustrations.  This 
year  we  shall  go  a  step  further  and  have  the  growing  plant  as  a 
basis  for  this  discussion.  The  Story  of  Polly  Flinder’s  Apron, 
from  Mother  Goose  Village,  is  a  help  with  the  development,  also 
the  Cotton  Field  Stories  in  In  The  Child’s  World. 

The  manufacture  of  woolen  cloth  is  studied  from  the  un¬ 
carded  wool  to  the  finished  product.  The  outline  given  under  the 
weaving  of  carpet  is  followed  and  experiments  in  each  process  are 
made.  Simple  spindles  of  wood  are  made,  by  which  the  wool  may 
be  drawn  into  threads.  In  The  Child’s  World  furnishes  some  help¬ 
ful  material  to  -illustrate  and  develop  the  story.  The  little  poem 
of  Emilie  Poulsson  furnishes  a  good  summary: 

SEQUEL  TO  AN  OLD  STORY. 

Mary  had  a  little  lamb, 

Which  grew  to  be  a  sheep; 

The  wool  upon  its  back  became 
Too  thick  and.  warm  to  keep. 

Then  Mary’s  sheep  did  wiith  the  rest 
Down  to  the  brookside  go 

And  soon  again  it  well  could  boast 
“A  fleece  as  white  as  snow.” 

The  shearer  came,  and  with  his  shears 
Cut  off  the  heavy  wool, 

Till  every  sheep  was  shorn  at  last 
And  all  the  bags  were  full. 


44 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


The  wool  that  came  from  Mary’s  sheep 
Was  spun  and  woven,  dears, 

And  made  into  a  nice  warm  coat 
That  Mary  wore  for  years! 

The  story  of  linen  is  best  approached  through  Hans  Ander¬ 
son’s  story,  “The  Flax.”  We  are  going  to  have  the  plant  well 
started  before  reaching  this  topic  this  year,  so  that  we  may  know 
more  than  comes  through  word  knowledge.  Barbour  Linen  Com¬ 
pany  will  send  on  application  a  case  showing  the  process  of  man¬ 
ufacturing  their  linen  thread. 

Silkworm  cocoons  furnish  a  basis  for  the  study  of  silk.  In 
the  Child’s  World  gives  “The  Lite  of  a  Silkworm,”  which  de¬ 
velops  the  manufacturing  step  by  step.  The  children  are  taught 
to  distinguish  each  fabric  when  examined. 

A  booklet  upon  textiles  is  compiled  from  this  study.  The 
cover  designs  for  these  furnished  work  for  a  drawing  period. 

The  additional  problem  in  numbers  is  the  extension  of  the 
linear  table  to  include  yards,  as  the  material  in  this  store  is 
measured  by  this.  The  use  of  glass  in  making  a  show  case  for 
displaying  embroideries,  ribbons  and  such  fancy  articles,  gave  the 
children  a  new  material  to  work  with.  Some  clothing  was  de¬ 
signed  and  made,  thus  causing  the  children  to  realize  that  the 
clothing  whioh  was  bought  at  the  store  was  made  by  some  one — 
net  as  one  small  boy  told  me  when  I  admired  a  new  blouse  and 
inquired  if  sister  made  it,  “It  wasn’t  made,  :it  was  buyed.” 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  booklet: 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Story  of  Cotton. 

This  is  a  piece  of  cloth.  It  is  made  of  cotton.  Cotton  comes 
from  a  plant.  The  cotton  plant  is  a  large  plant.  It  has  large 
green  leaves  and  big  flowers.  The  cotton  comes  from  the  flower. 
We  say  it  grows  in  bolls.  The  cotton  is  planted  in  the  spring  and 
blooms  early  in  the  summer.  All  summer  the  cotton  grows  shut 
up  tight  in  a  boll  like  this.  (Child’s  drawing.)  In  the  fall  when 
the  weather  gets  cool  the  boll  bursts  and  the  cotton  looks  like 
this  (drawing.)  The  cotton  is  then  picked  and  taken  to  the  cot¬ 
ton  gin.  Here  all  the  seeds  are  taken  out,  and  the  cotton  is  put 
in  bales.  The  bales  look  like  this  (drawing.)  The  bales  are 
shipped  to  the  cotton  mill  and  made  into  thread,  cotton  bat¬ 
ting,  cotton  goods  and  many  other  useful  things.  Calico,  percale, 
and  gingham  are  goods  made  from  cotton.  Paper  is  made  from 
old  cotton  cloth.  Cotton  is  a  very  useful  plant  to  us. 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


45 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Story  of  Linen. 

This  piece  of  cloth  is  made  of  linen.  Linen  comes  from  flax. 
Flax  is  a  tiny  plant.  This  plant  grows  tall  and  slender  and  has  a 
pale  blue  flower.  When  the  plant  gets  larger  its  stalk  gets  quite 
hard.  The  flax  is  cut  down  and  soaked  until  these  hard  fibers 
can  be  taken  out.  This  is  the  flax  fiber.  The  flax  is  spun  into 
thread  or  woven  into  cloth.  Cloth  made  from  flax  is  put  out  on 
the  clean  grass  as  soon  as  it  is  woven.  Every  morning  the  cloth 
is  sprinkled  and  the  sun  shines  brightly  on  it  all  day.  This  is 
done  for  many  days  until  the  cloth  becomes  white.  We  call  this 
bleaching.  After  the  cloth  is  bleached,  it  is  put  in  bolts  and 
shipped  to  storekeepers.  Linen  is  the  strongest  cloth.  It  does 
not  wear  out  easily. 

Our  clothing  problem  included  also  a  millinery  and  shoe 
store.  Hats  were  studied, —  (1)  as  to  use;  (2)  as  to  material — 
which  depends  upon  climate;  (3)  as  to  shape, — which  is  regu¬ 
lated  by  custom  (fashion),  material  and  climate;  (4)  as  to 
method  of  making  hats.  Hats  for  the  store  are  made  of  braided 
raffiia.  Stocking  caps  and  Tams  are  woven  of  yarn  on  cardboard 
looms.  The  shoe  problem  has  stopped  short  of  the  construction 
of  a  store  so  far,  but  the  study  is  taken  up  according  to  this  out¬ 
line:  (1)  material — another  product  of  the  animals,  which  has 

to  be  tanned  (experiment  of  tanning  rabbit’s  skin),  (2)  steps 
in  manufacturing — studied  through  models  from  factory.  The 
stories  of  The  Elves  and  the  Shoemaker,  and  of  Goody  Two  Shoes 
are  told.  The  booklet  is  made  as  a  summary  of  the  entire 
process  from  cow  to  foot.  We  sing  The  Shoemaker,  and  play  The 
Shoemaker’s  Dance. 


46 


HISTORY  IN  THE  FIRST  GRADE. 


CONCLUSION. 

The  course  as  outlined  is  for  first  grade  work;  but  under 
other  conditions,  the  food  and  clothling  problems  could  be  well 
worked  out  in  second  and  third  grades,  or  even  higher.  The 
principal  emphasis  would  remain  unchanged,  but  the  connection 
then  should  be  made  through  this  to  the  study  of  the  world  at 
large,  thus  vitalizing  the  subject  of  geography. 

In  all  of  this  work  the  main  purpose  is  not  to  secure  for  the 
child  skill  in  certain  processes,  nor  to  make  this  work  the  study 
of  industries;  but  tit  is  for  the  development  of  social  power  and 
insight.  I  should  like  to  quote  again  from  “School  and  Society,” 
“In  all  this  there  was  continued  training  of  observation,  of  inge¬ 
nuity,  of  constructive  imagination,  of  logical  thought,  and  of  the 
sense  of  reality  acquired  through  first  hand  contact  with  actuali¬ 
ties.”  These  points  are  necessary  to  mental  development,  and 
we  feel  that  the  child  is  truly  educated  by  the  working  out  of 
these  social  problems. 

There  are  two  or  three  words  of  caution  which  seem  neces¬ 
sary.  With  most  young  teachers,  the  enthusiastic  interest 
which  this  type  of  work  arouses,  causes  them  to  strive  for  a  fin¬ 
ished  product  along  lines  which  they  have  worked  out.  But  they 
must  give  place  to  the  child’s  interests,  giving  them  the  initia¬ 
tive,  being  satisfied  to  guide,  rather  than  to  control.  They  must 
restrain  their  desire  to  make  various  things  or  remake  those 
which  the  children  have  made.  If,  for  instance,  the  chair  does 
not  stand  steadily,  the  work  of  correcting  the  error  must  remain 
with  the  'children  after  they  have  been  helped  to  see  the  difficulty. 
One  of  the  benefits  derived  from  manual  work  is  the  premium 
placed  upon  accuracy  of  measurement  and  cutting.  If  the  teacher 
corrects  the  children’s  errors,  this  value  would  be  destroyed. 


Books  Used  m  this  Outline 


*In  the  Child’s  World  . Emilie  Poulsson 

Paradise  of  Childhood . Edward  Wiebe 

Kindergarten  Stories  and  Morning  Talks . S.  E.  Wiltse 

How  We  Are  Clothed . Chamberlain 

How  We  Are  Fed . Chamberlain 

How  the  World  Is  Fed . Carpenter 

♦Seat  Work  and  Industrial  Occupations . Gilman  and  Williams- 

Hand  Work  for  Kindergarten  and  Primary  Grades . Jane  Hoxie 

Plan  Books  for  Primary  Grades . Marian  George 

Bulletin,  Macomb  State  Normal,  1907. 


Song  Books  and  Game  Books. 


♦Songs  of  the  Child,  No.  I . Gaynor 

Songs  of  the  Child  World,  No.  II . Gaynor 

Lilts  and  Lyrics  . Jessie  Gaynor 

Merry  Songs  and  Games  . Hubbard 

Holiday  Songs  .  Poulsson 

Songs  and  Games  for  Little  Ones . Walker  and  Jenks 

Songs  in  Season  . Marian  George 

Songs  and  Music  of  Froebel’s  Mother  Plays .  Blow 

Song  Primer  .  Alys  Bentley 

Eleanor  Smith’s  Music  Primer. 

♦Children’s  Singing  Games,  Old  and  New . Mari  R.  Hofer 

Popular  Folk  Games  .  Mari  R.  Hofer 

The  Folk  Dance  Book  . jC.  W.  Crampton 

Graded  Games  and  Rhythmic  Exercises . Marion  Newton 

Poetry. 

Three  Years  with  the  Poets  .  Hazard 

♦Songs  of  the  Treetop  and  Meadow  .  McMurry 

Child’s  Garden  of  Verse  .  Stevenson 

Little  Folk’s  Lyrics  .  Sherman 


*  For  teachers  who  can  have  only  a  limited  number  of  books,  these  are  the  most 
useful. 


* 


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